Memories and the Master
by I-Confuse-Everyone
Summary: Formerly Sweet Dreams. Sequel to Degrees & the Doctor. After celebrating their third anniversary at a ball, Rose tragically loses all her memories of the Doctor. Why has this happened and who's the mysterious person in the distance? COMPLETE.
1. Three Years

**Memories and the Master**

_**Hey, I'm back with a brand new story. The sequel to Degrees and the Doctor won the poll (barely) so here you go. **__**Anyhow, no promises on how regular updates will be but I'll do my best to keep it weekly at the most. Hope you enjoy!**_

**_Edit 24/09/07- I've renamed this story. It was originally Sweet Dreams but changed it to ensure each story in this series had an alliterating title. Hope you like. _**

_**Disclaimer: Nothing you might recognise belongs to me**_

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**Part One: Three Years**

"It's stuck!"

"What?" asked Rose Tyler, trying to peer behind her in the mirror, "Oh no! Be careful, Jack!"

"I will be, honey," Jack promised, "I've pulled up enough dress zips in my time,"

"Really?" Rose asked, "I thought you usually pulled them _down_!"

"It's good manners to help a lady dress again after giving her the thrill of her lifetime," replied Jack, seriously, before grinning, "Ah, here we go." He gently pulled the zip up before spinning his best female friend around by her shoulders. "You look gorgeous, Rose,"

"Thanks," she said, blushing,

"That Doctor is one very lucky Time Lord," he nodded, "Bet ya he'll faint when he sees you!"

Rose smiled, brushing her hands down the sides of her black dress, smoothing out any wrinkles. "Thanks for helping me get ready," she said,

"I was happy to do it. It's your three year anniversary; you have to look amazing!"

"I can't believe it's been three years already," Rose sighed happily, "Three years since he came back for me after accidentally leaving me behind for a year and we told each other we loved one another." She beamed at Jack. "That means it's been nearly three years since we found you again,"

"Let's celebrate that as well!" Jack joked,

"I want to," Rose replied, seriously, "You're my best friend, Jack,"

"You're my best friend too, honey," he replied, feeling touched, "Best one I've ever had. I would hug you but I don't want to crumple your dress,"

"I don't care," Rose said, throwing her arms around his neck.

Jack hugged her back tightly before withdrawing and coughing slightly. "Well, my lady, shall I escort you to your prince?" He held out his arm, which Rose took; her face nervous but excited.

"I feel like I'm getting married or something!" she giggled, as they began walking down the corridor towards the control room, where the Doctor was waiting patiently; his stomach a bundle of nerves. He truly felt as if this was their first date and he was waiting for his date to show, hoping that she would. It was all rather domestic; his previous self would have been horrified.

When Rose and Jack finally turned into the control room, his face was priceless.

"Bloody hell!" he swore, his mouth falling open,

"Language!" Jack scolded, "There's a lady present,"

"Flies, Doctor," Rose reminded him.

He closed his mouth and strode over to her, taking her hands in his. "You look beautiful," he told her, quietly.

She blushed prettily, unsure of what to say.

"And the TARDIS doesn't contain any flies. She's perfectly clean!" the Doctor said, mock-sternly, "As for you…" he turned to Jack, "You should hear the things Rose says… or should I say _screams_…"

He was cut off as Rose slapped a hand over his mouth and narrowed her eyes at him. "Shall we go?" she asked, pointedly.

The Doctor grinned at her, once she'd removed her hand. "Of course," he complied, taking her hand, "Don't wait up, Jack,"

"Aye, Aye, Captain," the ex-Time Agent saluted,

"Are you gonna be alright on your own?" Rose asked him, in concern,

"He's not coming with us!" the Doctor said, immediately, receiving a sharp nudge in the ribs from Rose for his effort,

"I'll be fine, Rosie," Jack said, "Me and the TARDIS are gonna do some bonding, aren't we girl?" He slapped the console and the lights flickered. "There, see? Beers are in the fridge cooling,"

"Don't you get beer on the console!" the Doctor warned,

"_You_ did!" his companions chorused together.

He frowned. "You're not meant to remember that," he said, sheepishly.

Rose giggled before tugging on his arm. "C'mon, let's go. Where are you taking me?"

"Somewhere you'll love," the Doctor replied, confidently, "See you tomorrow, Jack,"

"See ya guys. Have a good time an' don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

"That's not a lot!" Rose grinned, sticking her tongue out slightly, "See you later, babes."

She excitedly held onto the Doctor's hand as the two lovers walked out of the door together, ready for their night out.

* * *

"The year is two-point-nine-slash-apple-slash-nineteen," the Doctor declared, briskly walking along with Rose, who was gazing around them in delight, "Two billion years in your future…" 

"…And this is the day the sun expands?" Rose interrupted, with a teasing smile.

The Doctor grinned at her, amazed that she could still remember things he'd said almost six years earlier. "No, this is the day that the Groporians throw the best party ever recorded in all of time and in the entire universe. And…" he paused, digging in his pocket and withdrawing the psychic paper. He waved it at her, grinning cheekily, "We have an invite."

Rose laughed. "One day that's not gonna work and we're gonna be stuck. What do we do then?"

"Run," he replied, easily,

"In this dress, you've got to be kidding," Rose said, with another laugh, "Who are the Gro…Gropo…"

"Groporians," the Doctor corrected, "They are basically just like royalty on this planet, which is called Arcodia, by the way. They are a family unit, whose power is so huge that the entire species is named after them,"

"That's a lot of power," Rose commented, imagining tall, well dressed, strong humans. She realised that the Groporians probably _weren't_ human but it was always the first image that appeared in her head even after meeting so many aliens. She assumed it was probably because _she_ was human. "Where's the party being held anyway?" she asked.

The Doctor raised his free arm and pointed slightly to their left. "In there."

Rose followed his finger and gasped. There was the most enormous building behind a sweeping lawn, full of what looked like blue grass in the darkness. The building itself looked eerily like the Palace of Versailles in Paris; tall, strong and majestic. Light flared from the numerous windows and seemingly classical music could be heard along the wind.

"Are you sure this isn't Paris?" she asked the Doctor. It really could be; it looked so similar.

"I'm sure. You'll see when we get inside," he replied, "I know it looks like Versailles from out here but it's entirely different inside,"

"Let's go in then!" Rose suggested, swinging their interlinked hands happily.

The couple continued their comfortable walk along the gravel path until they reached enormous gates where there was a short queue of smartly dressed aliens and a couple of what seemed to be guards. The aliens were slowly moving through the gates, one at a time after being allowed entrance. Rose and the Doctor got nearer and nearer, enabling them to examine the gates in more detail.

"There's a cat flap!" Rose giggled, pointing to a very small door in one if the gates, "Do they like animals then, this family?"

The Doctor looked at the door. "Oh, that's not for animals," he said, smiling mysteriously. "You'll see," was all he'd say when she pressed him about it.

Finally, it was their turn and Rose gripped the Doctor's arm as he handed the guards the psychic paper, grinning manically.

"Names?" grunted a guard,

"The Doctor and Rose Tyler," he replied, confidently,

"You not on list," the guard said,

"Really?" the Doctor said; a look of bewilderment on his face, "We were invited specially by old Hugo, himself. Said it wouldn't be a party without us!"

"Not on list, no entrance," the guard muttered, "Even with invitation. Secure way,"

"Indeed," the Time Lord returned, "Ah well, come on, Rose. It's a shame 'cause you were looking forward to this party so much… even bought a new dress and had your hair done specially, didn't you, darling?"

Rose nodded mutely, not trusting herself to speak in fear of laughing hysterically.

"Bye then," said the Doctor, soulfully, turning them around,

"Wait!"

He turned back, his face enquiring to the second guard who had spoken.

"Lord Hugo send message. Say he invite you. Please come in."

"Now that's what I was telling you!" the Doctor exclaimed, jovially, a smile on his face. He pulled Rose past the guards and through a gate, which slid noiselessly open for them. They continued walking up the grand drive, towards the entrance ahead of them, which was bustling and colourful.

"Who's Hugo?" Rose asked, once they were a safe distance away from the guards,

"The Lord and Master of the Groporians," the Doctor answered, "He's the head of the family and therefore the head of this race,"

"Oh, right," Rose nodded, "And how come those guards were speaking stilted English? Surely the TARDIS translator would change their language into perfect English?"

"They were speaking English," the Doctor said, "Hugo and his cronies decided that everyone on Arcodia must speak English- they like it for some reason- so all the aliens had to learn it and many are still a bit shaky. No proper education system, you see."

Rose nodded again before another thought gained her attention. "How did Hugo invite us if we don't know him?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Guess he wants to meet us. Doesn't everybody?"

Rose gave him a playful shove. "Give over being so arrogant!" She grinned before her thoughtful expression returned. "But seriously Doctor, the guards seemed to get a message through from Hugo telling them exactly what you'd told them which was entirely untruthful, which seems to me to be a little suspicious. Could we be walking into a trap?"

"Nah," the Doctor dismissed, "The Groporians are a peace loving race. They wouldn't do anything,"

"Are you sure?" Rose asked him, uncertainly.

He stopped and pulled her by the shoulders to face him directly. "I'm sure, angel. When have I ever taken you into danger?"

Rose raised an eyebrow. "On most planets we visit."

The Doctor smiled slightly. "Point taken but I swear we'll be alright. Hugo has probably just heard about us and our adventures and wants to meet us. It's happened before. Remember at the University of Mars, Kall had heard all about me and was excited to meet me?"

Rose nodded slowly.

"Come on, then. We're here to have fun and that's what we'll have." He smiled tenderly at her and kissed her gently before they continued their journey to the entrance.

* * *

It didn't take at all that long to get there and they were greeted by more aliens of the same species as the guards, although these were wearing what looked like a rough copy of a twenty first century waiter's outfit. 

"Good evening, sir and madam," said one of them, bowing, "Welcome to Groporian Residence. May I take your coats?"

The Doctor helped Rose remove her long black coat and then removed his own jacket before handing them both to the alien.

"Thanks," he said, retaking Rose's hand,

"Please step forward onto lift," instructed another alien politely, "It take you to party and I announce you."

They moved forward, with the alien stepping onto a raised platform after them. He clicked his fingers once they were ready, and Rose gasped slightly, instantly grasping the Doctor's arm more securely, as the platform rose up and began to move in midair. He grinned at her, moving in slightly to kiss her cheek.

"Neat trick, isn't it?" he whispered, his hot breath sending shivers down Rose's spine.

She nodded before looking around. They were passing through a dimly lit dining room, with a long wooden table and chairs in the centre. Rose frowned; it looked very human and ordinary and the Doctor had said it was different on the inside.

"This is special occasion dining room," their guide announced suddenly, "It only used for formal occasions when dinner required. It used rarely so is only one of three rooms with no special features."

Rose turned her head slightly to look enquiringly at the Doctor, who just nodded towards the next room, which was behind a sort of wooden hatch in the wall. It slid open automatically to let them through and closed again after them. Rose's mouth opened.

"This is young sirs and misses playroom two," the guide informed them, "It…"

Rose tuned him out unconsciously as she gazed around the room in awe. It was empty, bar for the numerous toys scattered around. She could see a tiny rocking horse, which she thought would only fit a very small baby, and toy swords and doll houses, which although she couldn't see from the height they were at, she was sure didn't contain human dolls. The most amazing thing though, was that the walls and floors changed coloured rapidly in an almost soothing way, and they seemed to be almost pulsing.

"Emotive walls and floors," the Doctor murmured quietly, "They tell your emotions and change to an appropriate colour. For example, that blue is your astonishment…" he gestured discreetly to a lovely sea blue shade, "And that yellow is excitement and that pinky-red colour is our love."

Rose turned her head and kissed him softly, a smile on her lips. "Why are the walls moving?" she asked, a moment later,

"It's your heartbeat," he explained, "It's kind of comforting, don't you think?"

"Yeah," she agreed, leaning against him, "Is this what you meant when you said the inside was different?"

"Kind of, yeah," the Doctor answered, "The emotive walls are in almost every room and can be switched on and off as necessary, but there's other stuff which makes it completely different to what it appears on the outside. We're standing on one, for example."

Rose looked down at their feet, quickly admiring the leather dancing shoes she had found tucked away in the back of the TARDIS wardrobe, before scanning the lift and meeting the Doctor's gaze again.

"I guess you don't tend to find platforms that fly in the twenty first century," she grinned; the Doctor matching her smile, "So what else is there that's different?"

"In certain rooms, it's possible to walk on the air,"

"_What_?" Rose exclaimed loudly, "Can the gravity be switched off or something?"

"Sort of. It's kind of like half of the gravity is switched off, as things like furniture stay on the ground," the Doctor stated, enjoying her surprise,

"That's so cool," she breathed, "Do you think we'll get an opportunity to try it out while we're here?"

"You will," piped up their guide suddenly, "Lord Hugo put a room aside for air dancing,"

"There's your answer," the Doctor nodded, in satisfaction, "Oh look, we're here."

The platform came down to a rest in a well lit room. The Doctor helped Rose to step off it before they followed the guide out of the room and along a gallery overlooking a hall, which was full of aliens from all cultures. Rose was so taken by the sight that it came as quite a shock when their guide cleared his throat and spoke loudly to the throngs below.

"May I introduce the Doctor and Miss. Rose Tyler of the good ship TARDIS."

Rose glanced at the Doctor, who winked mischievously at her before putting his arm around her waist and lightly leading her down the stairs towards the other guests, many of whom were politely clapping.

"Why are lots of them staring at us?" Rose whispered, nervously,

"It's because you're looking so stunning tonight," the Doctor reassured her, squeezing her slightly, "Now, prepare to have fun!"

* * *

_**(Part one & Part two is kind of a two parter as is Part three and four- you'll see!)**_

_**Review please. Constructive criticism is gladly received**_


	2. Air Dancing & Jack Dancing

**Memories and the Master**

_**Many thanks for all the reviews! I have been ordered to tell you that Hubert24601 helped me come up with the 'Jack Dancing' reference. Hope you all know what it refers to and hope you enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: Nothing you might recognise belongs to me**_

_**

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****Part two: Air Dancing & Jack Dancing** _

_Previously in 'Sweet Dreams'_

_The platform came down to a rest in a well lit room. The Doctor helped Rose to step off it before they followed the guide out of the room and along a gallery overlooking a hall, which was full of aliens from all cultures. Rose was so taken by the sight that it came as quite a shock when their guide cleared his throat and spoke loudly to the throngs below._

"_May I introduce the Doctor and Miss. Rose Tyler of the good ship TARDIS."_

_Rose glanced at the Doctor, who winked mischievously at her before putting his arm around her waist and lightly leading her down the stairs towards the other guests, many of whom were politely clapping._

"_Why are lots of them staring at us?" Rose whispered, nervously,_

"_It's because you're looking so stunning tonight," the Doctor reassured her, squeezing her slightly, "Now, prepare to have fun!"_

* * *

Rose grinned at the Doctor and they moved forwards into the middle of the crowd. There were aliens of all shapes and sizes there and they all seemed to be chatting and simply waiting for something or someone. Rose craned her neck, trying to look around and see if there were any species that she recognised. 

"Which aliens are the Groporians?" she wanted to know.

The Doctor glanced around, searching. "There, look," he pointed,

"That tall blue alien?" Rose asked, staring in the indicated direction,

"No, behind him. Look down."

She did as he said before her mouth fell open on its own accord. "_That's_ a member of the Groporian family?"

The Doctor nodded, with a grin. "Not what you expected?"

"Not anywhere near!" Rose shook her head slightly as she beheld the small dwarf like creatures that were the Groporians. "They look like they're straight out of Snow White! Which one's Dopey?"

The Doctor chuckled in her ear. "Don't be rude, Rose," he chided, softly,

"Oh look, there's Sleepy!" Rose laughed, pointing at a wizened dwarf snoozing in an armchair and completely ignoring her lover's comment.

"Rose," the Doctor repeated, drawing his arms tightly around her waist, "Didn't your mother teach you not to be rude?"

She turned her head and grinned affectionately at him. "Yeah, she did. I just forgot it all travelling with you; the King of Rudeness."

He grinned back and softly planted a kiss on her lips before a commotion up the front caught their attention. Horns were blaring noisily, causing a hush to fall over the audience. One of the guides began to speak,

"Please greet our Lord, Lord Hugo Groporian!"

The watching aliens burst in applause as one of the dwarfs walked regally down the stairs, inclining his head.

"Thank you for coming to our joyous party this evening," he said, in a slow and deliberate voice, emphasising every syllable, "Please enjoy yourselves. Drinks are free and air dancing will be in progress shortly. Thank you again." He bowed and continued down the stairs as his guests began to disperse to start dancing.

Rose looked up at the Doctor, an eyebrow raised. "That's Hugo?"

"Yep," he replied, "That's our man… or should I say, dwarf."

Rose whacked him. "You're doing it now!"

"Doctor and Miss. Tyler," said a newly familiar voice, suddenly.

The couple turned and looked down to see Hugo.

"Lord Hugo," nodded the Doctor, "Good to meet you,"

"Likewise. I'm so glad you managed to come," returned Hugo, "You look very charming tonight, Miss. Tyler."

The Doctor nudged Rose. "There, see? Told you." He smiled at her blush before addressing Hugo again, "How _did_ we manage to gain an invitation tonight?"

Hugo's lips turned up. "I was alerted by my guards that two people who weren't guests were trying to get in so I hastened to the security room. When I saw it was you, Doctor, and your lovely companion, I had to let you come in. It's an honour to have you attend one of my parties. I have waited for this day for so long." He gave a little bow,

"We're honoured to be here," replied the Doctor,

"Wonderful," said Hugo, "Now, if you will excuse me. Help yourselves to drinks and please enjoy yourselves. If I can be of any assistance, do not hesitate to ask me or a member of my family."

The Doctor and Rose thanked him before he toddled off through the crowds; the occasional guest stopping him and speaking to him.

"Sound reasonable enough?" asked the Doctor,

"Yeah," Rose said, "I just wanted to check,"

"It's wise," he replied, giving her an Eskimo kiss, "Do you want a drink?"

She nodded and they walked over to the bar at the side of the room.

* * *

"Ladies, Gentlemen and multiforms, we are pleased to announce that the air room is now available for air dancing," announced a voice, from the stairs. 

The crowd began to murmur amongst themselves and Rose turned excitedly to the Doctor, hope on her face.

"Can we? Please?"

He laughed, drawing her in for a hug. "Let's go!"

Rose squealed and put her drink down on a side table before grabbing his hand. He just had time to put his drink down next to hers before she pulled him away to a closed door where there were two of the stewards waiting.

"You wish to use air room?" one of them asked,

"Yes!" Rose nodded, in excitement,

"We're together," inputted the Doctor. Rose raised an eyebrow at his statement before her thought was swept away as the doors were opened and the Doctor pulled her in.

"Ready?" he asked her, his mouth close to her ear as he wrapped his arms around her, "Hold on tight!"

They took a step forward and immediately, Rose felt the gravity leave her and they soared up into the air, rising towards the ceiling until they stopped suddenly, about three metres away from it,

"This is as far up as we can go," the Doctor told her.

She nodded, not quite willing to let go off his arm just yet, and took a look around. The room had emotive walls, which were a mess of different colours due to the number of guests who had immediately flooded inside. Upbeat music was blaring from somewhere that Rose couldn't identify, which the aliens were dancing to in midair. She returned her focus to the Doctor's face, who was watching her with a hint of concern in his gorgeous brown eyes.

"You alright?" he asked her, "Don't worry, you won't fall."

She nodded; her tight grip relaxing slightly on his jacket. "How do we get down?"

The Doctor grinned. "We kiss," he stated, innocently,

"Kiss?" Rose asked, disbelieving him,

"Yeah, kiss. You know, when two participants place their lips on each others…"

Rose hit him playfully. "I know what kissing is!"

He grinned back before giving her a practical demonstration of kissing. Immediately, Rose felt them beginning to sink through the air until the Doctor broke the kiss and they rose again.

"I like that," Rose smirked, placing her arms around his neck, "But what if friends or single people or kids want to air dance? How do they get down?"

"They have a piece of rope tied around their ankle and when they've had enough, one of the stewards pulls them back down," the Doctor explained, "It's more fun kissing to get down though."

Rose laughed. "I'll say!" She placed her hands in his and smiled sweetly at him. "Right you, I'm in the mood to dance. You'll find your feet at the end of your legs. You may wish to use them."

The Doctor rolled his eyes playfully and their dance began.

* * *

Two and a half hours later, the pair was still dancing. The Doctor was twirling Rose around and she was squealing as she literally flew around the room. It was amazing. The great thing about air dancing was that there wasn't any pressure on their feet so they didn't hurt at all. Rose loved it and she beamed a thank you at the Doctor for bringing her here. 

"You're welcome, my lovely," he replied, honestly, "You deserve it."

Rose smiled at him as a slow song began to play.

"I recognise this!" she said, "It's _Wind Beneath My Wings_! I love this song but how on earth is it still around?"

"Why was Britney Spear's _Toxic_ still around when we witnessed the end of the world?" the Doctor countered, "Some songs are just so great that they stick around for generations and go to other planets with the humans,"

"Yeah but _Toxic_?" Rose said, scrunching her nose up, "It's alright but…" Suddenly, she cut herself off as the lyrics of the song playing registered in her mind. She began to softly sing them, staring at the Doctor. "A beautiful face without a name, for so long," she sang, stroking his cheek, "A beautiful smile to hide the pain…"

The Doctor smiled at her, tears trying to force themselves out of his eyes as the chorus began.

"Did you ever know that you're my hero? And everything I would like to be. I can fly higher than an eagle; for you are the Wind beneath my Wings…"

The Doctor lost the battle as she sang the next verse, singing about how it may have appeared to have gone unnoticed but she knew all along and how she would be nothing without him. It was the truth. Before she had met him, she was destined for a life of chips and telly but he'd completely altered her perspective and changed her life. If the worst ever came to the worst and they had to be parted, the Doctor knew she'd be OK. He'd given her her wings. And he was so proud of her. A single tear ran down his cheek and he burrowed his face in her shoulder.

"I love you, Rose Tyler," he whispered, as they continued to sway gently to the music.

"I love you too, Doctor," she replied, equally as quietly, "Happy third anniversary, God I love you so much."

They continued to hold onto one another, swaying slowly for the rest of the song, just content to be with the other. When the song finished, the Doctor raised his head and captured her lips with such passion that she was rendered completely breathless. Their feet hit the floor without either of them noticing that they were sinking, startling them.

"Come on, let's go back to the TARDIS," the Doctor said, hoarsely, reaching out for the rope that the stewards threw them to help them back through the door.

Rose nodded and they walked back towards the stairs.

"Are you leaving already?" Hugo asked, suddenly appearing next to them,

"Yes, we're sorry," the Doctor said, "Our friend will be waiting. Thanks for inviting us,"

"My pleasure," replied their host, "But please finish your drinks first and then my stewards will show you out. Waste not, want not as they used to say on the Earth!" He smiled cheerfully.

The loved up couple took their drinks from the table where they had left them and swallowed the liquid quickly. They didn't mind as it was a particularly nice brand of alien alcohol, which Rose in particular adored. She had several bottles of it in storage back on the TARDIS. That is if Jack hadn't taken them tonight,

"Thank you," said Hugo, an enormous smile on his face, "And thank you for coming. I hope that we meet again some day,"

"I hope so," the Doctor said, "Goodbye."

Hugo nodded and clicked his fingers. A steward instantly appeared who guided them back out of the building, using the back route, which made it a lot quicker. After picking up their coats, the pair almost jogged back to their TARDIS, their desire evident on their faces.

"Jack, we're back!" the Doctor called quietly, "See you in the morning!"

He didn't wait for an answer, instead dragging Rose to their bedroom. At the door, he turned to her, passion in his eyes.

"Happy anniversary, my love" he said, "Three years, Rose. I can't believe it,"

"Here's to many more," she replied, reaching up and kissing him, "Love you,"

"Love you too." His hand found the door handle and thrust it open, bundling his angel in before throwing himself in after her and slamming the door closed, making it clear that no-one was to disturb them that night.

In his room, Jack rolled his eyes with a smile. Then he asked the TARDIS to move his room to the other side of the ship. He wanted to get some sleep tonight.

* * *

_**Review please. Constructive criticism is gladly received**_


	3. In Sickness & In Health

**Memories and the Master**

_**Thanks for the amazing reviews; they seriously make my day. Glad you all enjoyed the last part(s). This chapter has quite a bit of puking in so be warned (nothing graphic though!). Hope you enjoy!**_

**_Disclaimer: Nothing you might recognise belongs to me _**

* * *

**Part three: In Sickness & In Health**

Rose awoke with a gasp, pulled herself forcefully out of the Doctor's warm embrace and raced for the bathroom.

The Doctor found her there, a few moments later, hunched over the toilet and breathing deeply.

"Praying to the porcelain God again, Rose?" he joked,

"Not funny," she mumbled, heaving as another wave of nausea swept over her.

The Doctor dropped to his knees next to her. "Nah, I guess not. Sorry…"

"S'OK," Rose muttered,

"You know, I've never known morning sickness to come on this early…"

"_Doctor_!" Rose wailed, "Stop it! You know it's not morning sickness; we've always used protection since that scare!" She shivered suddenly.

"Yeah, I know," he replied, "I'm only teasing. Here." He knelt up and helped her put one of his shirts over her naked body. She hasn't had time to grab any clothes in the rush.

"Thanks," Rose said, gratefully, before placing her forehead on her bent arms on the toilet seat with a groan, "I hate throwing up."

The Doctor rubbed her back soothingly. "So does everyone. Do you think you're done for now?"

"Dunno," she moaned, "Don't feel like I'm about to throw up but still feel nauseous,"

"C'mon then," the Doctor said, "Let's get you back to bed."

Rose nodded and he lifted her up bridal style and carefully carried her back into their bedroom. Rose nestled against his chest, closing her eyes and putting all her trust in him. She was feeling very weak and drained from being sick and more than a little annoyed at being ill. It wasn't a great ending to a fantastic night.

"Here we are," the Doctor said, gently placing her on the bed and pulling the duvet up over her, "I'll go and get some sort of bowl in case."

Rose nodded. "Can I have a glass of water as well, please?"

"Sure," he replied, "Won't be long."

He walked out of the room and down the corridor to the kitchen, where he rummaged in one of the cupboards for a bowl and a glass.

"Morning," said a sleepy voice, suddenly,

"Oh, hey Jack," the Doctor replied, pouring some water into a glass, "Were you OK last night on your own?"

"Yeah. Me and the TARDIS had a great time. Don't worry; I'll clean the mess up later!" He grinned mischievously, "So, how'd your date go? Rose enjoy herself?"

"It was brilliant," the Doctor enthused, "Evening to remember. I'd tell you all about it later but I gotta get back to Rose,"

"Didn't you do enough of that last night?" Jack mock complained.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "No, she's sick."

At once Jack's demeanour changed. "What's up with her?"

"I don't know. She just woke up and rushed to the toilet to be sick." The Doctor picked up the bowl and water and headed out of the door. Jack immediately followed him.

"You got a visitor," the Doctor told Rose when he re-entered their bedroom,

"Thanks," she said, taking the water and sipping at it, "Hey Jack,"

"Morning honey. I hear you're not feeling too well."

Rose shook her head. "I dunno what's up with me,"

"You do have a temperature," the Doctor noted, feeling her forehead, "What are your symptoms? Any aches or pains?"

"I just feel sick and I have a headache and I feel a bit hot," Rose replied, grabbing his hand, "What's your diagnosis, Doctor?"

He grinned at her joke. "Jack, will you go get me a thermometer and a cold flannel?" he requested of their friend, who did as he was asked. The Doctor then turned back to Rose. "Right, it could be food poisoning or a reaction to something or just one of your human twenty-four hour bug things. Shouldn't be anything to worry about,"

"OK," Rose replied, feeling reassured, before suddenly gasping, reaching for the sick bowl and throwing up again.

"Eww," said the Doctor, cheerfully.

Rose just glared at him over the rim of the bowl.

* * *

Rose had been sick a further two times by the time Jack returned and was currently nestled between her lover's legs, who was gently rubbing her stomach as it was hurting after vomiting so many times. 

"You took your time," the Doctor commented,

"Yeah, sorry," Jack answered, handing over the thermometer and cold flannel, "Had a bit of trouble finding them."

The Doctor nodded, before sticking the thermometer in Rose's mouth and applying the flannel to her forehead. She groaned in appreciation.

"You really not feeling that great, babes?" Jack asked, sympathetically.

Rose shook her head, a woeful expression on her face.

"Your temperature is above normal for a human," the Doctor said, "You're officially sick. You can have the day off school,"

"Yay," she mumbled, after removing the thermometer. She yawned suddenly. "I'm tired,"

"We'll leave you to get some sleep then," the Doctor replied, extracting himself from the bed, "Yell if you need anything."

Rose nodded sleepily before settling herself comfortably on the pillows. Meanwhile, her two best friends quietly left the room, hoping she'd feel better soon.

* * *

The Doctor quietly crept into the bedroom about half an hour later in order to get dressed after eating breakfast with Jack. He carefully opened the wardrobe and took out a fresh shirt; the one he had worn yesterday currently being on Rose's body. 

"Doctor?" whispered a voice. Rose's blonde head poked up from beneath the sheets,

"Sorry, did I wake you?" he asked,

"Wasn't asleep yet," she replied, "It's weird; I feel so tired like I'm about to drop off any moment but I can't actually do it!" She sounded frustrated.

"Do you need some help?"

"Do you mind?"

"Course not." The Doctor put his shirt down and climbed back into bed with Rose, who placed her head above his hearts and cuddled into his side before letting out a contented sigh.

"Thanks," she whispered, closing her eyes again and listening to the familiar double heartbeat below her ear,

"No problem" the Doctor answered, threading her silky hair through his fingers to help her relax. This way always worked. Whenever Rose couldn't sleep, she simply laid her head on his chest and let the warmth of his body and his comforting heartbeat lull her to sleep. It always worked. Always…

* * *

It wasn't working. 

Rose sighed, adjusting her head slightly. She felt no nearer to getting to sleep than she had twenty minutes ago.

"I don't get it," she whispered, feeling rather perturbed, "This _always_ works. It's like using a sexier version of a sleeping tablet!"

The Doctor suddenly choked and began laughing. Rose quickly removed her head from his chest; the rapid jerking of it from his laughter was making her feel sick again.

"Sorry," he gasped finally, "In _all_ my nine hundred and a bit years, I have _never_ been described as…as…" He broke off, falling into uncontrollable laughter again. The sides of Rose's lips turned up slightly.

"It's the truth!" she pouted, sighing suddenly and turning her pillow over to find the cool side. She pressed it against her burning face, closing her eyes gratefully. Strong arms suddenly closed over her frame and she reopened her eyes to see the Doctor inches away from her face, looking at her in concern.

"Have you got anything to make my temperature go down?" she asked,

"I might do," he said, thoughtfully, "I'll go check later but sleep really is the best medicine,"

"But I can't _get_ to sleep!" Rose complained,

"Well, that's about to change, Miss. Tyler," replied the Doctor, "We need to wear you out so you'll sleep…" He stopped and eyed the mischievious look on her face. "Bad Rose! I didn't mean that!"

"What was I supposed to think?" she answered, sticking her tongue out, "We're lying in bed and you're going on about wearing me out!"

"Such impure thoughts from an angel," the Doctor said, shaking his head with a smirk plastered on his face.

Rose smiled. "It's your fault I have such impure thoughts about you! Anyway, so what _did_ you mean about wearing me out?"

The Doctor thought. "Reading!" he cried, "Always makes you feel tired! Even I was shattered after reading every single _Harry Potter_ book non-stop!"

"You read… all _seven_ of them?" Rose exclaimed, "Just how fast can you read?"

"Well, put it this way; the first time I was in your flat I managed to read _The Lovely Bones_ while you were making us a cup of tea as well as finding out your name, deciding my ears were too big, deciding I couldn't spin a pack of cards and finding a plastic arm that decided to strangle me. All whilst holding a conversation with you in the kitchen!" His face held a pensive look for a moment. "That book had such a sad ending."

Rose shook her head. "So how long did it take you to read the _Harry Potter_ books?"

"About five minutes," he decided, "That fifth one took the longest. Bloody brick!"

Rose laughed. "I never read the seventh one. It came out just after you left me for that year and I was too miserable to bother reading it and then never got round to it."

The Doctor shuffled uncomfortably. "I'm still sorry. I'm never gonna forgive myself,"

"I forgive you. I forgave you right after you came back, do you remember?" She looked thoughtful for a moment. "In a way, I'm kind of glad it happened. If it hadn't, I'd never have met Kirsty or Lauren or Matt, we might never have found Jack again and we may never have gotten together. Could you imagine it?"

"No," the Doctor murmured, pressing a kiss to her neck, "We wasted so much time hiding our feelings from one another."

Rose nodded in agreement.

"Right you," the Doctor said, springing out of bed, "You say you've never read the seventh _Harry Potter_ book so you will now. Just let me go and get it!"

Rose grinned and watched as he disappeared; returning in less than a minute with a tome under his arm.

"Here you go," he said, tossing it to her. She caught it eagerly and smoothed her hand over the front cover.

"Will you read it to me?" she asked,

"If you want me too," the Doctor replied. He made himself comfortable on the bed; his back resting against the headboard. Rose lay her head on his lap and settled herself to listen after pulling the sheets up around her shoulders. The Doctor took the book off her and opened it at the beginning, "Chapter one…"

* * *

"You still with us?" the Doctor asked, upon reaching the end of chapter three. 

Rose shuffled around slightly. "Yeah," she confirmed, "Good book though and you're a great reader,"

"Thanks," he replied, sighing slightly.

Rose pulled herself up so she was leaning on his chest. "I'm sorry," she offered,

"Not your fault," he instantly replied, kissing her, "Your body is just deciding it doesn't want to shut down for sleep at the moment and that's what it really needs. What did you do when you were younger and couldn't sleep?"

Rose thought for a second, a small smile appearing on her face as she reminisced her childhood memories. "Mum always used to get me a mug of warm milk and I'd drink that and drop off immediately,"

"Let's try that then," the Doctor suggested, scrambling out of bed, "Stay there. I won't be a minute."

He was true to his word and shortly afterwards, Rose was drinking a mug of warm milk and enjoying it immensely. She yawned deeply when she'd finished.

"Now that's more like it!" the Doctor grinned, taking the mug from her as she settled down again,

"Throw me my teddy?" Rose requested sleepily.

He walked over to a chair and picked up a soft stuffed toy that he'd bought her on some moon millions of light years away. "Here you are," he said,

"Thanks," she whispered, "You go and do something with Jack. You don't need to stay with me all day,"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I might not be able to get to sleep 'cause you're a distraction." She grinned slightly.

He grinned back. "Alright, my angel. Yell if you need anything otherwise have a good sleep." He bent over and softly kissed her cheek before backing out of the room, picking up his everyday clothes on the way. It was eleven o'clock and he still wasn't dressed.

Rose rolled over slightly, letting out another yawn and closing her eyes. She was ready for sleep.

Outside, the Doctor walked down the corridor towards Jack, after making a quick detour to a bathroom to put on his clothes. He sighed slightly. He really hoped she'd sleep this time. He was starting to get worried that something was wrong.

* * *

**_Review please. Constructive criticism is gladly received_**


	4. Sleepless in SeTARDIS

**Memories and the Master**

**_A/N: Hey thanks for the reviews! Nothing much to say except DOCTOR WHO'S BACK ON 31ST MARCH!!!!! Only problem is I'm in New York at the time! Why that weekend? 'Sigh'. Hope you enjoy this part anyway. Next update next Friday probably. I'm drowning in coursework. _**

_**Disclaimer: Nothing you might recognise belongs to m**_

* * *

**Part four: Sleepless in Se-TARDIS**

_Previously in Sweet Dreams..._

_He was true to his word and shortly afterwards, Rose was drinking a mug of warm milk and enjoying it immensely. She yawned deeply when she'd finished. _

_"Now that's more like it!" the Doctor grinned, taking the mug from her as she settled down again, _

_"Throw me my teddy?" Rose requested sleepily. _

_He walked over to a chair and picked up a soft stuffed toy that he'd bought her on some moon millions of light years away. "Here you are," he said, _

_"Thanks," she whispered, "You go and do something with Jack. You don't need to stay with me all day," _

_"Are you sure?" _

_"Yeah. I might not be able to get to sleep 'cause you're a distraction." She grinned slightly. _

_He grinned back. "Alright, my angel. Yell if you need anything otherwise have a good sleep." He bent over and softly kissed her cheek before backing out of the room, picking up his everyday clothes on the way. It was eleven o'clock and he still wasn't dressed. _

_Rose rolled over slightly, letting out another yawn and closing her eyes. She was ready for sleep. _

_Outside, the Doctor walked down the corridor towards Jack, after making a quick detour to a bathroom to put on his clothes. He sighed slightly. He really hoped she'd sleep this time. He was starting to get worried that something was wrong._

* * *

To everyone's disappointment, Rose stumbled into the control room about half an hour later. 

"Didn't it work?" Jack asked, sympathetically.

Rose shook her head, her bottom lip wobbling slightly. "I was so close but it wouldn't happen and then I woke up again completely when I threw the milk up."

The Doctor climbed out of his pit and walked over to her. "Hey, hey, it's OK," he soothed quietly, taking her into his arms as she looked on the brink of tears, "We'll sort it, Rose, OK?"

"OK," she whispered,

"Do you still feel nauseous?" he questioned, leading her over to the captain's chair and sitting her down.

She shook her head. "Maybe that's one thing the milk did; I don't feel sick anymore,"

"Good, good," the Doctor nodded, "Right then, unless you desperately want to go back to bed…"

Rose shook her head vigorously.

"…Then you may as well stay up. I'm going to get you a drink of water and a blanket while you think of a film you want to watch."

Rose nodded happily. She knew the perfect movie.

Five minutes later, the Doctor returned to find Rose had got Jack to start _The Princess Diaries_ film on the console screen. He was sitting down next to her, avidly watching the screen as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"You started without me," he pouted,

"Shh!" both his companions hissed.

He grinned and wrapped a blanket around Rose without disturbing her field of vision and handed her a glass of water.

"Thanks," she said, taking it without paying much attention to him.

He shook his head and climbed back into the pit with a grin. If she was happy, then so was he.

* * *

"Doctor, is Genovia a real place?" Rose piped up nearly two hours later, 

"Not on Earth, no. But there is the planet Genovia," he replied, through his sonic screwdriver which he held in his mouth,

"Is there any connection?"

"Yeah, it's a true story but happened on Genovia rather than Earth," he said, grinning at her expression before standing up, "Right, I'm hungry. Who's up for some lunch?"

Rose grimaced. "I dunno. I'm hungry but I don't wanna throw up again,"

"I'll do you some chicken soup then," Jack offered, "Isn't that what ill people generally eat?

She nodded. "Thanks Jack."

The ex-Time Agent grinned and left the room for the kitchen where he began to busily make up some fresh soup. He wasn't going to give his best friend any of that rubbish canned stuff from Earth. There was absolutely no goodness in it at all.

Fifteen minutes later, he was back in the control room handing Rose a bowl of steaming soup and a spoon. "Here you go, babe. Sup up!"

"Cheers," she replied, stirring it and blowing it on, "Smells good,"

"Wait 'til you taste it," Jack grinned, as he disappeared back to the kitchen to get the Doctor's lunch.

"Here let me help you with that," the Time Lord in question said, taking the spoon,

"It's OK, I can manage…"

"No, it's fine," he said, dipping the spoon into the soup, "Open wide,"

"I can do it myself, Doctor," Rose said,

"Rose, you're ill. It's best if you let me help you…"

"DOCTOR!" Rose yelled, shoving him away and accidentally sending the bowl flying, "I might be ill but I'm not a baby! I can feed myself, alright?" She stood up and flounced out of the room as fast as she could, her head held high, leaving the Doctor staring at her, stunned. It had been a long time since she'd shouted at him.

* * *

Rose flushed the toilet and washed her hands in the sink, sniffing as she did so. She didn't mean to yell at him but she didn't want him to baby her and trying to feed her was just that. She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath before slowly walking back to the control room, where she found the Doctor still sitting on the captain's chair, dolefully stirring his own soup. Jack was on his hands and knees picking up the broken china off the floor. The spilt soup had disappeared. Rose assumed the TARDIS had cleaned it up. 

"I'm sorry," she whispered, entering the room and collapsing onto her lover's lap and burying her head in his chest. She just wanted a cuddle.

He appeared to pick up on her thoughts and immediately put his arms around her, pulling her tight against his chest and kissing her head. "No, I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to baby you."

Rose sighed. She was glad that that could make up so quickly. "It's just annoying. I know you don't mean anything by it but I can take of myself- you know I can,"

"I know," he replied quietly,

"Jack, I'm sorry I wasted your soup," Rose said,

"Its fine, honey. I've got more," Jack replied, leaving the lovers to it,

"Thank God, I'm really hungry!" Rose said.

The Doctor laughed. "Here, have mine,"

"Thanks," she said, looking up at his face and seeing his love for her shining out of his eyes. She smiled at him and tucked in, enjoying it immensely. It was delicious.

When she had finished, she cuddled back into the Doctor and sighed contentedly, listening to his hearts beat.

The Doctor resettled his arms around her and began to gently rock her, feeling her relax against him and her head settle on his shoulder.

Rose closed her eyes; breathing in and out slowly and feeling all the tension leave her body. She listened to the double thump in his chest and the comforting silence of the control room and it was almost a shock when the Doctor began to quietly sing to her.

His voice wasn't the strongest but neither was hers but it was enough for the strangely musical and relaxing element to his song. He wasn't singing in English and as it wasn't being translated, Rose could only assume it was in Gallifreyan- a language which she had rarely heard him speak. She felt her body getting more and more relaxed in his arms and she suddenly felt drowsier than she had all day. She forced herself to not fight the oncoming sleep which was ever drawing nearer… she was nearly there…nearly there…

Suddenly his song stopped and she immediately felt less sleepy.

"What was that?" she asked, not willing to move from her comfortable position,

"A Gallifreyan lullaby," he answered quietly, "I haven't sung it for centuries,"

"It was beautiful," she said truthfully, "I was closer to falling asleep then than I have all day,"

"Then let's get you back to bed and I'll sing it you again," the Doctor said. He made sure she was clinging onto him tightly before standing up and carrying her out of the room and along the corridor.

"Doctor?" Rose questioned, "Will you teach me to speak Gallifreyan?"

He stopped and looked at her, a strange expression on his face,

"If you don't want to then it's fine," she said, hurriedly, "I mean, if it hurts too much but I'd just like to speak it. It might be nice to be able to speak to you in your native tongue,"

"I'm the only one who still speaks it. It's a dead language," the Doctor said, studying her intently,

"So is Latin but people still learn that," Rose countered, "Forget it. It was just a silly idea for those times when we have nothing else to do,"

"Nah, it's a nice idea. Gallifreyan is incredibly complex though so don't be surprised if you find it too difficult,"

"So you'll teach me?" Rose asked, excitedly,

"If you want me too," he replied,

"You're the best, thanks," she grinned, kissing him lightly, as they continued down the corridor.

* * *

It wasn't long before she was tucked up back in bed and watching the Doctor worriedly as he paced around their bedroom, chewing on his bottom lip.

"Do you think there's something seriously wrong with me?" she questioned, in a small voice. They had tried the singing trick but it hadn't worked. The Doctor had begun to look worried which in turn was scaring Rose. Her heart was thudding furiously; afraid of what could happen.

The Doctor stopped pacing and sat down on the bed, taking her warm hand in his. "I don't know," he replied, honestly, "I don't think it can just be food poisoning or a twenty four hour bug that humans get anymore. From what I've studied in humans, the body automatically helps you fall asleep when you're sick to help combat the problem. But you can't sleep. It's almost like there's something blocking it,"

"Something alien?" she suggested,

"Maybe," he replied. He frowned, his forehead creasing. "I'm gonna take a blood sample from you, if that's alright?"

Rose shifted around in bed. "Do you have to?"

"I think it's best," the Doctor replied, "Don't worry, it'll just be like a regular blood test that you've probably had before. I'll be right back." He moved out of the door, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Suddenly, Jack popped his head around the door. "You feeling any better, Rose?" he asked, cheerily, "Guessed you'd come back here when you weren't in the control room anymore,"

"Yeah," she nodded, but didn't smile like normal.

Jack looked concerned. "Hey, what's up?" He came and sat cross legged on the bed next to her.

"The Doctor wants to do a blood test on me," Rose explained, studying her fingernails intently,

"So?" Jack said, "What's the problem with that?"

"I… I don't like needles," Rose revealed quietly, her cheeks revealing her embarrassment. She hated being scared of them; it seemed such a pathetic thing to be frightened about compared to what she faced almost on a daily basis. "I've always had a problem with them, I dunno why,"

"Does the Doctor know?" asked Jack, quietly, taking Rose's hand in his comforting one.

She shook her head, swallowing nervously as she thought of what was going to happen.

"Tell him then, when he comes back. He won't laugh,"

"I know," Rose replied, "I'm just…ashamed, I suppose,"

"Of what?" the Doctor asked, re-entering the room. He stopped and raised an eyebrow at the silence of his two companions. "Am I missing something?"

Jack nudged Rose gently in the ribs.

"Doctor… I don't like needles," she confessed, after an encouraging look from Jack.

The Doctor put down the syringe he was carrying and sat next to her. "That's OK," he said, drawing her into a hug, "We don't have to do anything you don't want to but like I said before, it would be best to take a sample."

Rose sighed heavily, an internal conflict raging in her mind.

"We'll look after you," the Doctor continued, "Jack'll hold your hand, if you want him to while I'm doing it, won't you, Jack?"

"Course I will," the ex-Time Agent said immediately, "I'll be your hand to hold." He grinned.

"It's up to you, sweetheart," the Doctor added,

"Alright," she sighed, "Just… do it and get it over and done with."

Her lover nodded and got straight to work, sorting out the apparatus and rolling her shirt sleeve up to above the elbow before kissing the back of Rose's right hand. Jack, meanwhile, firmly took her left hand in both of his and chatted to her, trying to take her mind off it and making sure she kept her eyes fixed on his.

"There, done," said the Doctor after a minute, "Put pressure on this; it'll stop bleeding in a moment,"

"I didn't feel a thing," Rose marvelled, pressing down on the cotton wool bud on her inner elbow,

"Must be my talent at keeping a beautiful woman occupied," Jack teased, "Well done, honey,"

"Thanks, Jack," said Rose, "and, y'know, _thanks_,"

"My pleasure," he replied, standing up, "Right, I've still gotta tidy up from last night. I'll come and see you again later, OK?"

"I'd like that," she replied, kissing him on the cheek as he did the same to her. He winked and disappeared out of the room.

"Let's have a look," the Doctor said, kneeling on the bed next to her and inspecting the cotton wool bud, "That's alright now. You alright?"

She nodded happily and smiled, before noticing a small tube on the bedside table. "Is that my blood?" she asked, morbidly fascinated with the viscous scarlet liquid,

"Yeah, as red as your name. Shame it's not purple, you're not royalty in disguise!"

Rose laughed, as he picked it up and took a step towards the open bedroom door.

"Don't I get a sticker or a lollipop for being a brave girl?" Rose pouted.

The Doctor turned back and grinned. "Sorry, I'm fresh out. Anything else you want as a reward?"

Rose pretended to think. "You got any kisses?" she asked, innocently,

The Doctor rummaged through his pockets. "Yup, it appears I have plenty," he concluded, before carefully putting the blood sample back down on the table and crawling up the bed until he was lying on top of Rose; his weight being supported by his arms, which were lying either side of Rose's head. He bent his head down and began to swiftly press kisses against her lips, one after another in rapid succession.

Rose giggled and looped her arms around his neck, playing with his nape hair.

"My…brave…beautiful…girl," he told her, in between kisses before ending with a deep kiss, feeding on her lips hungrily. Rose sighed happily, unconsciously stroking the back of his neck.

"Can we have sex?" she suddenly asked, "We haven't had it for _ages_,"

"Yeah, a whole twelve hours," the Doctor replied, rolling his eyes playfully,

"_Please_," Rose begged, fluttering her eyelashes at the Doctor and sticking out her bottom lip,

"Why? Are you feeling horny?" he asked, running his tongue over her exposed lip, making her shiver, and then nipping at her neck teasingly,

"Always am when you're around," Rose said, with a suggestive wink,

"Are you implying I don't satisfy you enough, Miss. Tyler?" the Doctor asked, continuing his oral exploration of her face and neck,

"You do…" she concluded, "It's just you're so good at it that I always want more,"

"Good save," the Doctor commented, with a wink,

"So can we?" Rose asked, looking pleadingly at him.

He shook his head. "You're not well enough, _but_," he stressed when her face fell and she began to protest, "as soon as you're better, we will and I'll make you scream twice as loud as normal."

Rose looked thrilled. "You promise?"

"I promise," he said, sealing his oath with another kiss, "Right, I'm gonna go test this sample. You have another go at getting some sleep, alright princess?"

"OK," Rose replied, yawning slightly,

The Doctor carefully climbed off her and perched on the edge of the bed. Rose immediately felt cold, despite being wrapped up in the duvet. She shivered, which he noticed immediately. With a grin, he pulled the covers around her neck, effectively tucking her in.

Rose giggled. "No-one's tucked me in since my Mum did when I was younger!" She broke off, covering a deep yawn behind her hand. "Will you come back after you're done and tell me what you've found? I'll probably still be awake,"

"Of course," the Doctor replied, bending down and kissing her lightly on the lips, "Sweet dreams, my angel. Love you to bits,"

"Love you too, Doctor," Rose replied, sleepily. She watched as he smiled at her and left the room, before closing her eyes and finding herself finally drifting away.

* * *

The Doctor tapped the screen in the medical room, feeling sure that something was wrong. It was telling him something that couldn't be true. He turned and re-examined the droplet of Rose's blood underneath his microscope before looking at the screen again. Suddenly, it all horribly made sense. 

"Rose!" he whispered, urgently dashing out of the room, not caring when his sleeve caught on a rack of test tubes, sending them crashing to the floor. "ROSE!"

"What's up?" Jack asked, peering out of the kitchen door, "Doctor?"

He stared after his best male friend, who had gone skidding past him without answering. He had looked awfully pale and almost frightened. Jack immediately decided to run after him. Something had to be terribly wrong with Rose to make the Doctor panic that much.

"Rose! Don't go to sleep!" the Doctor yelled, turning the final corner and sliding to a halt in front of the bed,

"Hmm, what?" she asked, sleepily, before opening her eyes,

"No…" the Doctor whispered painfully, "Oh God, no."

Jack arrived just in time to see Rose staring at the Doctor, her eyes puzzled and fearful. She opened her mouth, her eyes widening all the time.

"Who…who are you?"

* * *

_**Review please. Constructive criticism is gladly received**_


	5. Explanations

**Memories and the Master**

**_A/N: Spot the 'Torchwood' references in this one! Doesn't matter if you haven't seen it as it's all (hopefully) explained. If you are interested in seeing them, some of the episodes are available on tv-links dot co dot uk as well as all the 'New Who' and quite a number of the 'Classic Who' and many other programmes. _**

_**Scary story time: I got my January A Level exam results back yesterday. I would like you to cast your minds back to 'A-Levels and Aliens' where Rose had the same. She got a D in History and decided to retake it. Guess what I got? I'm very scared!**_

_**Thanks for the reviews anyways and those for my one-shot 'Lunar Eclipse'! Hope you enjoy this chapter. **_

_**Disclaimer: Nothing you might recognise belongs to me**_

* * *

**Part five: Explanations**

"_ROSE!"_

Rose stirred slightly as she heard someone shouting her name. It was probably her Mum to say that she was late for work _again_. She wriggled slightly, feeling warm and comfortable under the duvet before suddenly hearing another shout:

"Rose! Don't go to sleep!"

"Hmm, what?" she asked, sleepily, before opening her eyes, expecting to see her pink bedroom. Instead, she saw a completely different bedroom with a man staring back at her from the doorway.

"No…" he whispered, "Oh God, no."

Rose drew in a sharp breath, her eyes widening as another man arrived in the doorway. She had no idea who either of them were nor did she have any idea of where she was. Where was her Mum and her bedroom? She opened her mouth.

"Who… who are you?"

"It's us, Rose," said the man who had arrived second, in an American accent, "Jack and the Doctor. Funny joke, ha ha."

Rose looked at him blankly. The only Doctor she knew was the one she went to when she was ill and the only Jack she knew was Jack Hutton from her high school days. And they weren't either of these two men.

"Rose?"

She turned her attention to the first man. _He's very good looking_ her brain supplied, unhelpfully. They both were really but the first man had some sort of appeal to him.

"Do you know where you are?" he asked.

Rose shook her head, peering around the room again and frowning as she saw some of her clothes strewn about and a photo frame of her, her mother, the brown haired man in front of her and Mickey all wearing Christmas cracker hats and looking totally at ease with one another. She stared at it for a while before looking back at the man who had now moved to sit on the end of the bed. She immediately shifted her legs up towards her, ignoring the hurt look in the man's eyes. Who was he and why was she in a photo with him? She'd never met him before in her life!

"Where am I? What am I doing here?" she asked, directing her questions at him, "Where's my Mum?"

"You're in the TARDIS," he replied, "And you're Mum's in London at home,"

"Doctor, what's going on?" the American man demanded, suddenly, "Why can't she remember anything? Please tell me this is just a joke she's playing!"

"I wish I could," the man called the Doctor said; "She's lost her memory."

The other man sucked in a breath; Rose imitated him. "_How?" _he whispered.

'_I've lost my memory_?

The Doctor shrugged. "I dunno but she's got Retcon in her blood,"

"Retcon!" the American exclaimed, "That drug's meant to be illegal!"

"It is," the Doctor confirmed, "It must have happened last night at the dance. Maybe…"

"Excuse me," Rose butted in. She didn't have any idea what they were talking about and wanted some answers now. "What are you going on about? And I want to go home _now_! I don't have any idea who either of you are and I want my Mum!" She swallowed and hastily blinked back tears.

"It's OK, Rose," the Doctor said compassionately. He stood up and offered her his hand. She just stared at it, nonplussed and he withdrew it; another look of hurt flickering over his face. He turned to speak to the other man. "Jack, will you take us back to the Powell Estate?"

Jack nodded and quickly left the room, after looking sadly at Rose. Meanwhile, the Doctor was standing next to the bed looking at her.

"We're taking you back to your Mum," he said simply.

Rose nodded. "Who are you?" she asked hesitantly, "How do I know you? That picture…"

The Doctor sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm the Doctor," he explained, "We're best friends…" He quickly decided to leave out the part about them being lovers too. He doubted Rose could handle that at the moment. "…And we travel together in my… spaceship." He sat down on the bed, careful not to sit too close to her.

"Your…spaceship?" Rose asked, "What; are you an alien or something?" Her weak grin quickly slipped off her face as he nodded. "Oh my God. I'm best friends with an alien!"

The Doctor nodded, waiting for her reaction. A small bump signalled that they had arrived.

"We're here," he said, "C'mon."

Rose swung her legs out of bed, her head a jumble of mixed up crazy thoughts. How could she be best friends with an _alien_? They didn't exist! Just what had happened to her? How had she lost her memory? Suddenly, she shrieked as she realised she was standing in a room with a strange man (to her at least) in, in _just_ a shirt. "Oh my God! Get out! Where are my clothes? Get out!"

The Doctor suppressed a smile and pointed out her underwear drawer and where yesterday's clothes were lying on the floor from their mad rush last night before waiting outside the door. He sighed. Last night seemed so long ago. He couldn't believe what had happened. His Rose was just completely _gone_. He could hardly bear it although he was doing his best to cover his feelings up, not wanting to distress Rose anymore than she already was. He thought she was coping considerably well at the moment. She hadn't burst into hysterics or anything but had calmly tried to work out the situation. He was so proud of her even though he'd much rather she didn't have to work it out but was sleeping peacefully with her body fighting off the sickness. Except it wasn't really sickness.

Rose appeared in the doorway, interrupting his musing. She looked around at the corridor architecture in wonder before looking at him. She was still wearing his shirt but had a pair of jeans on and shoes as well. He smiled weakly at her before walking down the corridor with her following behind, looking curiously at everything as they passed.

The TARDIS must have realised the situation and made things easier as the control room was only at the end of the corridor. The Doctor muttered a quiet thank you to his ship before exchanging a glance with Jack and opening the exterior door.

"What have I told you about landing that box in my living room?" The shrill tones of Jackie Tyler met his ears immediately. "I could have people over and how am I supposed to explain how a blue box just magically appears in my living room?"

"Mum!"

Rose pushed past the Doctor and ran straight into her mother's arms, holding on tightly. Jackie looked concernedly at her and then glanced at the Doctor who was still standing in the doorway with Jack behind him.

"Has somethin' happened again? What's made her come to me? Not that I'm complaining but normally she runs to you."

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS and took a deep breath. "She's lost her memory,"

"_What_?" Jackie exclaimed, cupping her daughter's face and looking into her eyes, "How?"

The Doctor shrugged.

"How's she still know who I am then?" Jackie continued,

"I think she's only forgotten certain parts," the Doctor said, quietly, "Rose, how old are you?"

The twenty five year old in Earth terms looked up at him. "Nineteen, of course,"

The Doctor's hearts sank. "And what's the date?"

Rose frowned. "Last time I checked it was the fifth of March 2005. Why?" She turned her head as her mother let out a soft gasp. "What's wrong? Isn't that the date? Mum, what's wrong with me?"

She had begun to sound scared and the Doctor longed to hold her in his arms and tell her everything was going to be OK. But he couldn't because Rose would shy away from him and everything _wasn't_ going to be OK. He looked pleadingly at Jackie who responded immediately by pulling her daughter closer to her and speaking to her as if she was a small child.

"Sweetheart, it's OK. We think you've lost some of your memories-…"

"How have I lost my memory?" Rose shouted, "I can still remember who you are! It's just them I don't know!" She was very nearly crying.

"It's alright, Rose," Jackie soothed, "We're going to have a nice cup of tea and the Doctor's going to explain what's going on, OK?"

Rose looked mistrustfully at the Doctor, which completely broke his hearts. It had been a _very_ long time since she last didn't trust him. "Who is he anyway?" she demanded, her fear making her sound aggressive, "He said he was my best friend but Mickey's my best friend…" She glanced up again at her mother and the Doctor who had both sharply inhaled. "…What's wrong? Has something happened to Mickey?"

Jackie exchanged another look with the Doctor, who shook his head slightly. He didn't want to get into where Mickey was now. It was too complicated.

"Sweetheart, Mickey's fine. Right, you sit here with Jack, and me and the Doctor will be back in a jiffy with a nice cup of tea!" Her bright smile was entirely false but her daughter didn't appear to notice as she flopped down onto the sofa, a confused, scared and worried expression on her face. The Doctor's hearts ached for what must be going through her head at that moment and he was only going to make it worse. He sighed miserably and followed Jackie into the kitchen.

"Oh sweetheart," Jackie said, straight away, drawing him into a hug, "Are you alright?"

He nodded mutely, not trusting himself to speak.

"She doesn't recognise you or Jack at all?" Jackie questioned,

"No," he said hoarsely, "The day she thinks it is, is the day we first met in my old body when I blew Henricks up so there's no chance she'll recognise me as I am now. And we didn't meet Jack for several months…" He broke off and coughed slightly. When he raised his head up again, his eyes were full of pain. "It's horrible, Jackie. I know her but she doesn't know me and I'm scaring her!"

Jackie patted him on the back, not really knowing what to say. She couldn't imagine what he was going through. It was almost worse than Rose dying. It almost was as if she was dead, to the Doctor.

Jackie handed him two mugs of steaming tea and he followed her back into the living room. There was complete silence in there with the two occupants watching each other nervously. It felt so wrong. Normally when Rose and Jack were sitting in the same room, no-one else could get a word in.

The Doctor coughed slightly and sat down in an armchair facing Rose. Jackie sat next to her who Rose immediately shifted closer to.

"Right, let's start at the very beginning. It's a very good place to start!" the Doctor announced, his hearts soaring as he saw Rose smile very slightly, "OK then, Rose. As you already know, I'm the Doctor…"

"What; like a medical doctor or a psychologist?" Rose turned to her Mum, "He's not a shrink, is he? I don't need one; I'm not mad!"

"I'm not a shrink," the Doctor said, calmly, "And you're not mad. I'll explain everything, alright?"

Rose nodded slightly.

"OK. This is Jack," the Doctor continued, motioning to the ex-Time Agent who was sat in an armchair with his legs crossed and his chin resting on his hand. He offered Rose a small smile before returning to his unfamiliar serious expression. He couldn't believe what had happened.

"We're both your best friends and we travel around together. You and me met in March 2005…"

"But that's now!" Rose cried,

"No, it's not, Rose," Jackie said, heavily, "Today's date is Monday 13th June 2011."

Rose gasped. "I… I've lost the last six years?" she asked, a tremble in her voice, "_How_?"

Jackie, and to some extent, Jack, looked at the Doctor as well. They also wanted to know the answer to that question.

The Doctor ran his fingers through his hair. This was going to be difficult. "I performed a blood test on you earlier Rose," he began, "And I found a compound in your blood called B67. This compound is also known as Retcon, which is the active ingredient found in amnesia pills. It got into your blood somehow and as neither me nor Jack would ever do such a thing, I believe your drink was spiked last night at a dance we went to,"

"So…so she drank that and lost her memory?" Jackie asked, her voice quavering slightly,

"Not exactly. Retcon is soluble so it can be mixed with other sorts of drugs. I've heard of it being mixed with a sleeping tablet so the person falls to sleep quickly but the exact opposite happened with Rose," the Doctor explained, "When she woke up this morning, she was sick immediately and throughout the morning she kept on being sick. She also had a headache and a high temperature and whatever we tried, she couldn't fall asleep." He looked over at Rose and saw her watching him, a small frown creasing her brow as she struggled to remember and take in what he was saying. He smiled gently at her before continuing. "Then, about three o'clock this afternoon, after I'd done the blood test, she finally managed to fall asleep. I took the blood test to the lab on board the TARDIS and discovered that there was Retcon in it, and knowing what it did, I quickly ran back to our bedroom but by then, it…" His voice cracked and he coughed. "By then, it was too late. You'd forgotten everything about me."

Rose stared at him in silence. There were several things that she didn't understand in that; such as what the TARDIS was and why he'd said 'our bedroom' but she didn't raise them; seeing just how upset he was although he was hiding it incredibly well. She pulled her shirt sleeve up and examined her inner-elbow. There was a small bruise there. What he was saying was true. She really had lost her memory!

"Why's she just forgotten about you?" Jackie queried, not noticing her daughter's turmoil.

Seeing that the Doctor really couldn't talk without breaking down, Jack came to his rescue. "Retcon is a special compound. The person can choose what the drug erases in terms on memories and stuff. In Rose's case, what she's forgotten is everything since she met the Doctor in March 2005 until present day."

Jackie nodded, her throat closing up. "Why… why was she sick? A side-effect of the drug or something?"

"I'd assume that that mix of the amnesia drug makes the sufferer sick and unable to sleep while it works its way through the system," Jack guessed,

"Yeah," the Doctor agreed, having been able to get a grip on himself, "It stops them from sleeping until the drug has fully infiltrated the body and then it sends them to sleep. Whilst asleep, the brain basically blanks out certain things, making the person forget them."

Rose rubbed her eyes. She felt tired, confused and scared. It was so much to take in. "Will… will I ever remember any of it?" she asked, quietly.

The Doctor crossed over the room and knelt down in front of her, gently taking her hands in his. To her credit, she didn't try to pull away but she held his hands very loosely. There was something almost soothing about it but she wasn't completely comfortable.

"I don't know, Rose," he told her, looking her straight in the eye, "I really hope so but I've never experienced Retcon at first hand before- only heard about the experiences of other people." He held her hands a little tighter. "But I promise you that I will do my damn hardest to reverse it and get you back."

"But what if you can't?" she asked, a squeak in her voice and her eyes beginning to fill with tears, "What if I've lost those six years forever?"

The Doctor swallowed. "We'll handle it, Rose, I promise. You won't be alone. I'll be with you every step of the way, OK?"

She nodded. Beneath all her misery and confusion, she felt a small flicker of hope and an inexplicable trust in this strange man, kneeling in front of her. Somehow, she believed him.

* * *

_**Review please. Constructive criticism is gladly received**_


	6. Back to the Beginning

**Memories and the Master**

**_A/N: So, anyone else think it's weird that when I have tons of work to do, I update faster? Thanks for all the reviews, hope you like this part._**

_**Disclaimer: Nothing you might recognise belongs to me**_

* * *

**Part six: Back to the Beginning**

The minute Rose awoke the following morning, everything that had happened yesterday came flooding back- well, everything that she could remember anyway. Quickly, she rolled up her sleeve and examined her inner elbow, sighing when she saw the tiny bruise. It hadn't been a weird dream then. She really was twenty-five, had A-Levels, travelled around with an alien and a human from the fifty first century in a spaceship that was not only a wooden blue police box from the sixties but also was bigger on the inside, and finally she was actually in an intense romantic relationship with said alien.

She rolled over and pulled the duvet over her head, not willing to greet the day yet. There was too much running through her mind. Last night, after the Doctor bloke had promised her he'd do his best to get her memories back, she'd asked, feeling almost nervous, about what had actually happened in the past six years. Her mother had quickly brewed up a fresh pot of tea before the Doctor had begun to tell her the most unbelievable and amazing tales, including the fact that he was an alien called a Time Lord, his spaceship was called the TARDIS, they'd met when she'd helped him stop shop window dummies from taking over Britain and they were lovers.

Rose rolled over again with a groan. She sure had picked a good one but she'd never quite imagined that she'd fall in love with an alien; no matter how gorgeous he was. Especially an alien who could change his face. The Doctor had quickly explained the concept of regeneration and shown her what he looked like in what she understood to be his ninth body. That had been the last straw. She'd stood up, backed away from the other three occupants in the room and mumbled something about needing to get away. Then, she'd turned tail and ran to her bedroom, not coming out again all night.

So here she was, not having seen anyone for over twelve hours; just thinking everything over and trying to make sense of it. She'd strained to remember something…_anything_, but nothing came to her, not even a feeling. Well, unless she counted that inexplicable trust of the Doctor last night. Rose shook her head and sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She could hear voices.

Quietly, she walked out of her room and padded up the hallway towards the slightly a-jar door of the lounge. She peeked through the gap and saw her mother and the Doctor both standing in the middle of the room, having a conversation.

"…be back within a week, hopefully, otherwise you've got the number if anything happens," the Doctor was saying,

"Alright; so what exactly are you going to do then?" Jackie questioned,

"Find Hugo and demand some answers. If he's drugged _my_ girl, then he better start running," growled the Doctor, "With any luck, he'll have some answers and we'll have her memories restored,"

"OK, are you going to tell Rose before you leave?" her mother asked.

The Doctor nodded. "I'll go now and then me and Jack will get going. Don't forget you can get into contact with me anytime if something happens or you need to talk. That goes for Rose too…"

Rose tuned them out as she saw him turn towards the door. She hurried back to her room and leapt onto her bed, grabbing her brush and beginning to brush her hair, trying to make it look like she hadn't left her room.

There came a knock at the door. "Can I come in, Rose?"

"Erm, ok," she replied, watching as her door opened to reveal the Doctor, with a small smile playing on his lips.

"I don't know how much you just heard…"

"I didn't…" Rose interrupted. _How did he know I was there_?

"It's OK," he grinned, "Anyway, me and Jack are going back to the planet where me and you went to the party the other night and we're going to try and find out what happened and if anything can be done to get your memories back. We'll probably be gone around a week your time but if your memories come back by themselves or you just want to chat, then you have the number for the TARDIS in your mobile phone." He sat down next to her on the bed and reached for her mobile off the bedside table. He then thumbed down the list of her contacts until he reached T for TARDIS. "Here, just call this number and you'll reach me, alright?"

"How can I ring you if you're not on the Earth and years into the future?" Rose asked, sceptically,

"I did some jiggery pokery to your mobile so you could call home whenever you need to," explained the Doctor, "And I did the same to the home 'phone a few years ago so your Mum could do the same,"

"ET phone home?" said Rose, with a faint smile,

"Exactly," the Doctor grinned, "Now, is there anything you want to talk about or am I clear to go?"

"No, I'm fine," she said, "So, I'll see you again in about a week, yeah?"

"Yeah," he answered, standing up, "It'll fly by."

Rose nodded. "Alright, bye then, Doctor,"

"See you," he said, dying to give her at least a hug but knowing she'd be freaked out. He smiled at her before marching out of the room and to the lounge where the TARDIS was still standing, with Jack inside.

A few seconds later, Rose heard a sort of whining, groaning noise that sounded almost beautiful. She dashed to the lounge and was just in time to see the faint outlines of the blue police box disappear from view; the light on the top flashing away.

"What was _that_?" she asked her Mum,

"The sound of the universe," Jackie replied, with an awed look in her eyes. She gathered her daughter in her arms. "Just you and me now, sweetheart. Just you and me."

* * *

The TARDIS hit the ground with a thump and almost immediately, the door was wrenched open and the Doctor strode out, with Jack running to catch up with him. 

"How are we going to get in there?" he panted, "Won't there be guards?"

"I don't care," the Doctor ground out, "I don't care how I'm going to do it but I'm getting in there and seeing Hugo. He has to know something,"

"Alright," Jack agreed, "I'm with you all the way."

The Doctor turned his head and nodded at his friend, with a smile. "Thanks, Jack,"

"No problem."

It wasn't long until the two men reached the now familiar gates of the Groporian mansion. There was no-one on the gate so they pushed their way through and up the drive before hammering on the wooden door. It opened almost immediately and one of the servants that the Doctor recognised from the party peered out.

"You have an appointment?" it asked politely,

"Not exactly," the Doctor muttered, "We want to see Hugo,"

"I sorry. No appointment, no seeing Lord Hugo," the servant squeaked, "Sirs!"

It yelped as the Doctor pushed his body weight against the door and shouldered his way into the house.

"Sirs, you cannot do that!" another servant said,

"I demand to see Hugo immediately," the Doctor said, almost menacingly,

"Lord Hugo busy. He receive no visitors unless with appointment!"

"I don't care if he's busy!" the Doctor roared, "I want to see him right _now_!"

"What's going on down here?" interrupted a new voice.

The Doctor and Jack looked around to see Hugo coming to a rest on a levitating platform.

"Hugo," the Doctor nodded.

The head Groporian looked positively delighted. "_Doctor_! How perfectly splendid to see you again so soon! And where's your lovely companion?"

"_Like_ you don't know," Jack said, glaring at the dwarf in front of him,

"I'm afraid I don't. That was why I was asking," Hugo replied, looking pleasantly, "Who might you be? I didn't see you the other night,"

"Jack," he said, shortly. It was a sign of his feelings and the present situation that he didn't flirt like normal. "What have you done to Rose, you pathetic excuse for a Groporian?"

"Excuse me?" Hugo said, looking shocked,

"Exactly what he just said," the Doctor said, "What did you drug Rose with?"

"I'm very sorry, Doctor," Hugo said, "I really don't have any idea what you're talking about. Why would I drug your companion?"

"That's what I want to know," he snarled, taking a step forward so he completely towered over the dwarf, "And you should know I'm being very calm right now. You _do not_ want to see me when I'm angry so if I find you've done something irreversible to Rose, there will be hell to pay."

Hugo swallowed, glancing at his frightened servants. "Gentlemen would you like to step onto the platform which will take us to my office and we can discuss this further? Although I assure you I haven't played any part in what you're accusing me of,"

"We'll see," the Doctor muttered, stepping onto the platform. Hugo seemed to be genuinely unaware of what had happened but if it hadn't been Hugo or his faction, then who would it have been? There were hundreds of guests at the dance that night. The Doctor shook his head. He just hoped he'd find a cure for Rose here and then he'd have his angel back. He desperately missed her.

* * *

"So, you're saying that your Rose has had her memory wiped using Retcon?" Hugo questioned, leaning back in his chair. It was a peculiar chair with a seat which could be raised and lowered on command. At the moment, it was almost as high as it could get so Hugo could look the Doctor and Jack in the face as they sat in two human sized chairs opposite him. 

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded, "Did you have anything to do with it? Tell me the truth, Hugo."

The Groporian looked the Time Lord in the eye. "I swear I didn't. Why would I do something like that to you? I admire you!"

"Well, someone did something and it happened at your party!" Jack snapped, "She was fine beforehand and she was sick when she returned."

Hugo shrugged while the Doctor sighed.

"Do you have any sort of security visuals?" he asked,

"Yes," Hugo replied, "That's a good idea. Would you like to see them?"

"Please," the Doctor said, "I'll take them away with me and study them,"

"We're leaving then?" Jack asked,

"Of course we are. I need to get back to Rose. Her memories may have come back," responded the Doctor immediately, sounding irritated. He sighed again when Jack held his hands up in the defence gesture. "Sorry," he apologised, "It's…"

"I know," the ex-con man said, quietly, "What you feel must be a hundred times worse than my own feelings."

The two men stared at each other in understanding.

Hugo coughed, suddenly realising how deep the Doctor's feelings for Rose were. He had seen they were in love at the party but not just how much. It made him even more determined to help them out.

"I'll get those security visuals immediately then and a full guest list?" he offered.

The Doctor nodded with a small smile. "Thanks, Hugo. Tell me, do you have any experience in Retcon?"

"I've read about it," he said,

"Is there any way of getting her memories back?"

The Groporian peered at the broken alien before him, hearing the desperation in his simple question.

"I think…" he began, thoughtfully, "I think I read that an object might trigger the memories. Something significant to Rose."

The Doctor nodded. "That's something at least. Thanks. We can get started on that as soon as we return." He stood up and stretched. "It might be the answer to getting Rose back."

* * *

Rose sat on the sofa, fiddling with her mobile phone. It had been a strange week since the Doctor and that other guy had left. So much had changed both out in London and in her own home. Even the Prime Minister had changed. Much to her surprise, she'd discovered that there'd been two Prime Ministers in the time she couldn't remember and the man who had been Prime Minister back in 2005 (it felt so strange to say that) had actually been murdered! 

Suddenly, Rose froze, staring at her mobile screen. She'd been flicking through her contacts list, seeing the names of old school friends flash up when suddenly she got to a series of names she didn't recognise. _Jimmy S_ Well, she knew who _that_ was but _Kirsty…Lauren…Matt…?_ Who were _they_? Frowning, she checked her messages and found a lot of messages from those three strangers. All the texts seemed to be chatty and friendly as if they knew her very well and many of them had some sort of question about her travels and what new planets or species of aliens she'd seen. They must know about her life with the Doctor but he'd specifically said it was a big secret and she mustn't talk about it to anyone other than her mother. Rose shrugged her shoulders, deciding to ask her mother when she returned from the shops. She'd declined the invitation to go with her. Shop window dummies now gave her the creeps.

Suddenly, the loose papers on the coffee table (which was a different one to that she remembered- apparently her and the Doctor had broken it after falling on it when trying to wrestle a plastic arm away from her throat) began to flutter slightly as a breeze picked up and Rose swore that there suddenly seemed to be a sort of flashing blue light in the room. A droning noise filled her ears- the same sound that she'd heard the previous week- the 'sound of the universe' according to her Mum and all of a sudden, the tall blue box appeared in front of her- the TARDIS, Rose reminded herself.

The door was yanked open and the Doctor appeared in the doorway.

"Rose!" he cried, upon seeing her, "Hello!"

"Hi," she replied, standing up,

"How have you been? Remembered anything?" the Doctor asked, hope lighting up his eyes.

Rose bit her lip, hating to quash it. "Nope, sorry. Nothing at all." She sighed heavily, collapsing back onto the sofa. The Doctor immediately came and sat down next to her.

"We may have found a solution," he told her, "The alien we went to see- Hugo, his name is- told us that we might be able to trip the drug with an object- something significant to you."

Rose looked at him, her eyes wide, "Do you know what that could be?"

He shook his head. "It could be anything. We've seen an awful lot on our journey together. So far we know it's not me, Jack, your Mum or the TARDIS who are probably the most significant people to you…"

"The TARDIS is a person?" Rose interrupted, raising an eyebrow,

"Yes," the Doctor replied, simply, "She's organic. Anyway," he continued, glancing at the clock on the wall and seeing that it was almost six o'clock in the evening, "Starting from tomorrow, I'm going to attempt to show you every alien we've encountered, every place we've visited, every weird object we may have come across. Obviously we're not going to see them all but we've got to try, alright?"

Rose nodded, leaning the side of her head against the sofa back and studying him. She suddenly had a thought. "Do you know who three people called…" Here, she consulted her mobile again, reading the names off the small screen, "Kirsty, Lauren and Matt are? Their names are in my 'phone but obviously I don't remember them,"

The Doctor jerked. "Oh Rose, you _clever_ girl!" he cried, "Maybe _they're_ the triggers!" He leapt up. "Can I borrow your mobile for a minute? I'll just call them and get them to come over,"

"Why, who are they?" Rose asked, "Doctor?"

"Your three best friends from college. They were there for you when I wasn't when I left you for that year," he answered, his voice turning sad towards the end,

"Oh," Rose said, handing him her mobile, "OK. Erm… I'll be back in a minute."

She slipped out of the room while the Doctor nodded absently, his thoughts on getting the three students over to the flat as soon as possible. He really hoped they were the triggers and then he could have his lovely Rose back. Reaching the first name he came across, he pressed call and lifted the 'phone to his ear.

"Kirsty?" he said when she picked up, "Hi, it's the Doctor. Can you come over…?"

* * *

Rose sat on her bed and stared at the sheet of paper in her hand. It contained her A-Level results and she couldn't believe the grades. Two A's and two B's. It was impossible. She couldn't get such high grades. Her GCSE scores had been mediocre and she was a shop-girl, for God's sake. Or, she quickly reminded herself, she _had_ been a shop-girl. 

Suddenly she heard a rapping at the front door and the Doctor answering it before chattering voices passed her door and went into the lounge. About two minutes later there came a knock at her door.

"Rose?" The Doctor pushed the door open and stuck his head in. "They're here. Do you want to come to the lounge to see them? I've told them what's happened."

She nodded and stood up, walking shakily over to him. She felt really nervous, which she supposed was justified considering she was about to meet three people who had known her for four years but she couldn't remember ever meeting them.

The Doctor smiled at her. "You'll be OK," he whispered, before offering her his hand. After a bit of hesitation, she took it, shivering as a tingle ran up her arm from where they were holding hands. She looked up at him, their eyes connecting for a moment. Rose didn't understand it but although she had no memory of ever meeting this man before a week ago, she felt like she'd known him forever. She'd done a lot of thinking over the week and concluded that maybe this was where that inexplicable trust came from. She felt that she could rely on him and that comforted her even though it made her brain hurt from trying to figure out _why_. She shrugged mentally before taking a deep breath as the Doctor pushed the door open to reveal three unfamiliar faces and one familiar one, which was Jack who was sitting on the sofa next to a young man who looked about nineteen or twenty. The two girls sitting in armchairs looked the same age.

"Hi Rose," said one of the girls, which was quickly echoed by the other two,

"Rose, this is Kirsty, Lauren and Matt," the Doctor told her. He squeezed her hand gently and she looked up at him. "Do you remember any of them?"

Rose looked back at the three people, studying them intently and straining to remember but they remained strangers, no matter how hard she tried. Her lower lip became to tremble as she gazed back up at the Doctor. "No," she whispered, "I don't know who they are." A tear slid down her cheek, partly from disappointment and partly from her distress, before she dropped his hand and stumbled out of the room.

A moment later, the four occupants left in the living room heard the front door slam as Rose tried to escape from this nightmare that she was trapped in.

* * *

**_Review please. Constructive criticism is gladly received_**


	7. Hurting

**Memories and the Master**

**_A/N: Dedicated to the real Matt who was sitting next to me as I wrote this and was thrilled he was in a story. And quite thrilled he's not exactly like the Matt in this fic. I swear it isn't you, Matt! Thanks for the reviews._**

_**Disclaimer: Nothing you might recognise belongs to me**_

* * *

**Part seven: Hurting**

_Previously in 'Sweet Dreams'…_

"_Rose, this is Kirsty, Lauren and Matt," the Doctor told her. He squeezed her hand gently and she looked up at him. "Do you remember any of them?"_

_Rose looked back at the three people, studying them intently and straining to remember but they remained strangers, no matter how hard she tried. Her lower lip became to tremble as she gazed back up at the Doctor. "No," she whispered, "I don't know who they are." A tear slid down her cheek, partly from disappointment and partly from her distress, before she dropped his hand and stumbled out of the room._

_A moment later, the four occupants left in the living room heard the front door slam as Rose tried to escape from this nightmare that she was trapped in._

* * *

The Doctor glanced at Jack and nodded, automatically knowing what he was saying. He slipped through the various chairs in the lounge and unlocked the TARDIS door before disappearing inside. Seconds later, the engines started up and the time ship disappeared out of the flat, leaving Matt, Kirsty and Lauren staring at Jack. 

"Is she going to be alright?" Lauren asked, quietly,

"We're trying our best to help her remember," Jack replied, "But it's probably gonna take time and we gotta be patient with her. She's highly emotional as you just saw,"

"The Doctor will look after her, won't he?" Matt said,

"He'll do his best," the ex-Time Agent replied, "But he's can't get close to her; none of us can, not even Jackie. It's like she's protecting herself."

Matt sighed. "Poor Doctor. I can't imagine what he's feeling,"

"Jack, what should we do?" Kirsty asked, "Is there anything we _can_ do?"

Jack shrugged. "Go home and maybe come back in a few days. We have to be prepared for the chance that her memories may never return and we'll have to start again from scratch,"

"OK," Kirsty said, looking tearful, "Why'd it have to happen to her?"

"Hey," Jack said, standing up and giving her a brief hug, "We have to hope her memories return and they might do. I promise I'll call you as soon as it happens, alright?"

"OK," Lauren sniffed, accepting a hug from Jack as well, "I don't suppose there's any point of us staying here so we better go,"

"Yeah," Kirsty agreed, "Thanks, Jack. You coming Matt?"

"Nah," the almost twenty-year-old declined, "I'm gonna stay here a bit with Jack,"

"Alright. We'll ring you later," Lauren said, smiling weakly before following her friend out of the door.

* * *

The Doctor pushed open the doors of the TARDIS and scanned the grounds of the Powell Estate, looking for Rose. He quickly spotted her, perched on the back of a graffiti covered bench, her chin resting in her hands. 

He wandered over to her, joining her on the back of the bench and silently offered her a tissue that he had pulled out of his pocket. She took it without a word and the next few minutes were silent other than the occasional sniff as Rose tried to get herself under control.

Finally, she felt ready to speak. "Why's it a blue police box?"

"Hmm?" the Doctor asked, "Oh, the TARDIS? Originally, she would turn into something relevant to the time we landed in due to the chameleon circuit but one day when we landed in sixties England, it broke and she's remained the same ever since,"

"Can't you fix it?"

"I like it the way it is. Don't you?"

Rose nodded before sighing, dropping her head again. "I hate this," she whispered, "I hate not being any to remember anything, not being able to remember who you are or Jack or those three in the flat just now. It's hurting everyone and I just hate it,"

"It'll be OK," the Doctor said, quietly, "We'll find the trigger and get your memories back,"

"But what if we can't?" Rose asked, a tear rolling down her cheek, "What if we can't find the trigger and I've lost those years forever? Nothing will ever gonna be the same again. I'm just making so many people miserable!"

"It's not your fault," the Doctor tried to interrupt,

"That doesn't matter," Rose continued, her voice rising in volume and pitch, "Just now in the flat, I couldn't remember who those people were and they looked so gutted, Jack constantly looks like his best friend has died, my own _mother_ doesn't seem to recognise me sometimes- did I really change that much in six years?"

The Doctor simply nodded. She had really changed, going from Rose Tyler, shop girl to Rose Tyler, Defender of the Earth.

She sighed; a long, drawn out miserable sigh. "And then there's you," she whispered, turning her head to look at him. He gazed back, waiting for her to continue. "I've seen the way you look at me, I know you love me but I can't… I can't imagine how much I'm hurting you." She gave a sob. "I'm just hurting so many people because I can't remember who they are! Maybe it would be better if I just disappeared."

The Doctor was on his feet in an instant, standing in front of her. "Don't you ever say that, Rose Tyler, do you hear me? We all love you and we would be so much more miserable if you weren't here with us. Maybe you are hurting us, but it is in no way your own fault, you must understand that. Don't worry about hurting us, we understand and we'll get over it."

Rose brushed her tears away from her face. "I just want things to go back to however they were before," she whispered,

"I know you do, sweetheart. I do too," the Doctor said, softly, "And we're going to do our best to achieve that. Me, you and Jack; we regularly do the impossible and we're gonna do this, alright?"

Rose gave a small nod.

"Come here," the Doctor said, holding his arms out.

She hesitated for only a second before slipping into his embrace, cautiously wrapping her arms around his waist and settling her head on his shoulder. He smelt good, she decided. Warm and comforting and so… safe. She gave another sniff and closed her eyes, happy to let her defences down for this moment in time.

As for the Doctor, he was in heaven as he rested his chin on her head and slowly rubbed her back soothingly. He finally had Rose back in his arms and felt as if they'd taken a small step in the right direction. He felt her relax slightly against him and her breath fluttered against his neck, tickling his skin.

"You once told me that just being in my arms always makes you feel better," he told her, "I hope that's still true."

Rose shifted her head slightly as he waited for her reply. Finally he had one.

"It is," she murmured.

The Doctor felt a wave of happiness wash over him from that simple affirmation. He grinned and held her tighter, content to hold her until she wanted to leave. On the other side of the grounds, he saw the exterior door from the stairs open and Kirsty and Lauren exit slowly. They waved at him, their faces brightening slightly to see the couple entwined, before leaving them to it.

* * *

"D'ya want a beer?" Jack offered, 

"Yeah, please," Matt replied.

His friend entered the Tyler's kitchen and reappeared seconds later with two opened bottles of beer. He handed one to Matt and then collapsed next to him, swigging from his own bottle.

"So how's uni been?"

"It's fine. Can't believe I've finished second year already. I only have one more year left!" Matt said, "Really doesn't seem that long since I was doing my A-Levels with Rose and the others,"

"Yep," Jack mumbled.

Matt turned to look at him. "Are _you_ alright, Jack?" he asked, "I mean, everyone's saying poor Rose and poor Doctor and it's right to say that but what about you? You're part of the TARDIS crew too!"

Jack grinned slightly. "Oh Matt. I never knew you cared so much!"

The young man blushed slightly. "Seriously though?"

Jack sighed. "I'm fine. I need to take a backseat at the minute. I'll happily talk to Rose if she wants to but she needs to get to know the Doctor again first. I do miss her though; it's like losing a sister."

Matt's face was sombre. "Do you really think her memories will come back?"

"Well, put it this way. If the Doctor can't find the trigger, no-one can so I'd say there's a pretty good chance,"

"Good," Matt said, "I hope they come back soon. It's really heartbreaking that she doesn't know who I am; y'know, we were such good friends and all,"

"Know what you mean," Jack agreed before taking a closer look at his face, "Hey, c'mon. Don't you start crying on me as well or else I'll think the Captain Jack Harkness effect doesn't work anymore!"

Matt managed a watery smile.

"Fine," Jack said, with an exaggerated sigh, "Come here." He shuffled closer to the young man next to him and put his arms around him in a tight hug. "I never thought that I'd spend my days hugging teenagers!"

"I'm not a teenager! Well, not for much longer," Matt objected, with a weak grin looking across at Jack.

Jack looked back and their eyes connected for a minute before Matt suddenly leant in and brushed his lips across Jack's. Never one to miss a kiss, Jack kissed back carefully, a little surprised but going on instinct, before suddenly being shoved backwards by Matt, who leapt to his feet, his eyes wide and his face pale and frightened.

"I'm sorry!" he gasped out, "Shit! I'm really sorry, Jack!"

He took one final look at the ex-Time Agent before spinning around and running out of the door, leaving Jack looking curiously after him.

* * *

Jack was still sitting on the sofa when he heard the front door open and footsteps coming down the corridor. The lounge door was pushed open and the Doctor and Rose appeared. 

"Do you know what's wrong with Matt?" the Doctor asked, "He just ran past us looking really upset."

Jack shrugged, quickly deciding he owed it to Matt not to tell anyone about what had just happened. "He's just upset about something; nothing to do with you, Rose."

She nodded and sat on the sofa.

"Right, I'm hungry," the Doctor announced, "Jack, will you whip up something?"

"Sure," Jack said, standing up,

"You can cook?" Rose asked, in surprise.

Jack stared at her. "Can you cook, she asks? _Can_ I cook!"

Rose looked uncertainly up at the Doctor.

"He can cook," he told her, rolling his eyes at their friend, "Jack, go cook, now!"

Jack saluted. "Aye-aye, Captain!"

"Thought you were the Captain," the Doctor said, snidely, as Jack exited the room. He heard Rose give a little laugh and grinned down at her. "So, how have you been anyway?" he asked her, sitting down next to her on the sofa,

"Alright," Rose shrugged, "It's been a weird week. I keep finding out things that have happened in the six years and are completely different now, like the Prime Minister I knew was murdered and then there was another female Prime Minister but she got a vote of no confidence and then there's the one we have now- Mr. Saxon, I think he's called."

The Doctor chuckled. "It was you that found the body of the Prime Minister,"

"_What_?" Rose gasped,

"Yeah, and we became quite close friends with the female Prime Minister but then she went and ruined it all by murdering some aliens that invaded on Christmas Day."

Rose glanced at him; his face was dark and angry.

"Do you not like her anymore then?"

"No," he growled, "It was me that started the vote of no confidence,"

"Oh," Rose said, "So it's not a good idea to get on your bad side then?"

"Nope," the Doctor smiled, "You're alright. You could do almost anything and you still couldn't get on my bad side,"

"That's good to know," she replied before sighing. "The other day, I was talking to Mum about some family members and what they were doing now and I mentioned Uncle Jim,"

"Oh." The Doctor drew in a breath.

"Yeah," Rose nodded, "She got all upset 'cause he died on a train crash a few years ago. But I guess you know that already,"

"Yeah," he confirmed, thinking back to those terrible couple of days. He and Rose had had an enormous row at the same time which didn't make matters any better.

"It's weird, you know? I feel sort of thick like everyone else knows the answers and I don't," Rose said, flopping back against the sofa,

"Hopefully it won't last long," said the Doctor, optimistically, "First thing tomorrow we're going to go out into London and find that trigger!"

* * *

_**Promise there will be more 'action' next chapter!**_

**_Happy Red Nose Day to all the Brits out there!_**

_**Review please. Constructive criticism is gladly received**_


	8. Searching

**Memories and the Master**

**_A/N: Thanks for the reviews for the last part and sorry this is a bit late but I've had coursework to do. It's done and handed in now, thank God! Honestly, don't know when I'll be able to update again as I'm going to New York next Friday (I miss Doctor Who- it's terrible!) until the following Thursday (I will write whilst I'm away) and I'm fairly busy this weekend as it's my 18th birthday on Sunday. But I'm not abandoning it, no way! _**

_**Please note that this series left Doctor Who canon behind after the end of Fear Her in series 2. You'll see why I'm telling you this soon enough- you might even be able to guess from this chapter if you're eagle-eyed enough!**_

_**Disclaimer: Nothing you might recognise belongs to me**_

* * *

**Part eight: Searching**

Early the next morning they began.

The Doctor took Rose into central London in the TARDIS, making the same cracks as before about the time-ship being a city hopper. Rose took it all in her stride, completely marvelling over the fact it could disappear one place and reappear another. Their first destination was the London Eye.

"I've never been on it," Rose said, shading her eyes as she peered up at the enormous wheel slowly circling above them, "Have I?"

"Nope," the Doctor assured her, "We should one day."

Rose smiled at him before glancing around. "So, what happened here?"

"Here, or more to the point in a room underneath the Wheel, we had our very first adventure when we defeated a huge living plastic creature called the Nestene Consciousness."

Rose looked at him, her eyes wide. "I thought the first aliens we encountered were those shop window dummies,"

"Those Autons, as they're properly known, were being controlled by the Nestene Consciousness," the Doctor told her, "And after trying to negotiate didn't work, we had to stop it. And we did, or more to the point _you_ did by chucking a cylinder of anti-plastic in it,"

"Anti-plastic?" Rose said, "Not some high tech, futuristic… I dunno… _gun._ Not something… _Spock_?"

The Doctor laughed affectionately. "Honestly, Rose Tyler, you're more similar to your lost self than you think."

Rose turned quiet and looked around her. "So, the Wheel's not the trigger then?" she eventually asked.

The Doctor shook his head. "Doesn't look like it. C'mon, let's try something else."

* * *

Rose stepped out of the TARDIS to find herself in a busy street full of London shoppers and harried office workers and right in front of her… 

"Henriks?" she said, "You've bought me to Henriks?"

"Yup," the Doctor confirmed, stepping out the TARDIS behind her and closing the door, "This is where we first met so I was thinking it might be the trigger,"

"Oh," Rose replied, following him to the familiar entrance, "Hey, didn't you say you blew it up?"

"Yeah, I did but it's been rebuilt in the past six years," the Doctor answered, "Right, we need the basement."

"The basement?" Rose said, glancing around the stuffy shop with the piles of neatly folded clothes and the bored looking till assistants. Inwardly, she shuddered, "But members of the public aren't allowed down there and I don't work here anymore!"

"I think it's time I reintroduced you to a little friend of mine," the Doctor said, reaching into his jacket pocket and withdrawing something, "Meet the sonic screwdriver!"

Rose looked dubiously at it as they rode the lift down to the bottom. "How's that supposed to help us?"

"The sonic screwdriver," her accomplice announced grandly, "Doesn't wound; doesn't maim; doesn't kill. But it is _very_ good at opening doors!" He pointed the device at the locked door to the basement in front of them and Rose heard a little click. The Doctor pulled down the handle and the door opened instantly.

"So that screwdriver thingy, it can open _anything?_" Rose asked,

"Yup," the Doctor confirmed smugly, "Except deadlock seals of course."

Rose nodded wordlessly as they stepped into the dim corridor in front of them. It looked much the same as she remembered it with piles of boxes and naked mannequins dotted around the floor. "We better be quiet," she whispered, "Otherwise Wilson will hear us,"

"He died," the Doctor said shortly, "Murdered by the Autons but you're right, we…"

"Excuse me!"

He was cut off by a voice. The pair turned to see a young woman behind them of about Rose's age or maybe a bit older. The Doctor heard Rose give a little gasp and deduced that she recognised her.

"What are you doing down here? This place is out of bounds to the public,"

"Ah, well you see," the Doctor said, confidently, rummaging in his pocket and withdrawing the psychic paper, "We are inspectors from the Head Office come to check Health and Safety Standards in this shop." He flashed the psychic paper in her face and she blinked.

"Oh! Oh, well, sorry," the woman said, "Can I help you with anything? My name is Alyssa, the assistant manager,"

"No thank you," the Doctor returned, a smile on his face, "We'll supposed to conduct the inspection by ourselves- to be free of bias, you know,"

"I understand," Alyssa said, "I'll be on floor two at the customer services desk if you need anything then,"

"Alright, thank you." The Doctor waved as Alyssa left the corridor, before he turned to find Rose staring up at him.

"What," she asked, motioning to the psychic paper, "is _that?_

* * *

They decided on chips for lunch- Rose's choice, of course. They went to a chip shop nearby Henriks, which was a personal favourite of theirs and sat down at one of the plastic tables to eat them. 

"That was mental," Rose said, shaking her head, "I can't believe Alyssa is still working there though! And I can't believe she didn't recognise me!"

"You have changed," the Doctor commented, popping a chip into his mouth.

Rose shrugged before sighing. "So, Henriks isn't the trigger nor is the London Eye nor is this chip shop. So where next?"

"Downing Street."

Rose choked on a chip. "_Downing_ Street?"

"Yup," grinned the Doctor, "Number ten to be precise. I told you about you finding the Prime Minister's body and meeting the female one. That all happened in Downing Street,"

"But why were we in Downing Street?" Rose asked,

"Oh, you know the usual. Saving Earth from an alien invasion from these really horrible looking aliens called Slitheen. They stank and unfortunately it wasn't the last time we came across them. Not by a long way."

Rose looked at him. "Will you tell me?"

The Doctor smiled at her and reached across the table to take one of her hands before squeezing it gently. "Of course."

They spent the next half an hour chatting as they finished their lunch and strolled casually over to the home of the British Prime Minister. They had decided to leave the TARDIS behind by Henriks, feeling the need to work off the chips a bit.

The Doctor had just finished explaining their last encounter with the Slitheen on the deserted island three years ago when they arrived at Downing Street to find an enormous crowd gathered around the gates. Policemen and security guards were posted around to stop people from getting in the way as the gates slowly opened and a typical posh black car rolled slowly out. The crowd went wild; cheering and screaming as a figure inside waved from the backseat.

"Who's that?" Rose asked the Doctor.

A man in front of them turned around, an incredulous look on his face. "That's the Prime Minister!" he said, "Where have you been?"

"Out of the country," the Doctor said shortly, "What's his name?"

"Mr. Saxon," their informant said, still looking unbelieving, "How can you not know that? There's that huge competition running!"

"What competition?" the Doctor wanted to know.

The man's mouth literally dropped open. "You _can't_ be serious about not knowing! It's been headline news for weeks now! Just how far away were you?"

"Miles away," the Doctor said, "So _what_ competition?"

"To guess Mr. Saxon's first name!" the man enthused, "It's a huge mystery and no-one except him knows what it is!"

"What's the prize?" the Doctor asked, looking faintly amused,

"The first prize is a personal one on one interview with Mr. Saxon himself!" said the man, excitedly, "And then there are the one thousand runners up prizes which is an audience with Mr. Saxon. It's a prize many would die for! I've already entered- _six_ times!" He gave an excited squeak before running after the car with the rest of the crowd, leaving Rose and the Doctor standing by themselves.

"I heard about that competition on the news last week," Rose said suddenly, "Didn't get what all the hype was about."

The Doctor shook his head, feeling bemused.

"Can we go into the future and find out his name and then come back and enter?" Rose asked, the ghost of her familiar cheeky grin on her face,

"Nope. It'll cause too many problems," the Doctor said watching as her face fell before adding casually, "You could always ask me though…"

"What?" Rose's head snapped up. "You know what his name is?"

He nodded, grinning and leant forward to whisper it in her ear. Her eyes widened. "_Really_?"

"Yup," the Doctor confirmed, "You gonna enter then?"

Rose nodded. "Feels like cheating but I don't care!"

The Doctor chuckled. "Why do you want to enter?"

Rose shrugged. "Just to see what all the hype is about I suppose. See if he's as amazing as everyone makes him out to be,"

"Ah," the Doctor nodded, "C'mon then. We've got your memories to get back."

He led her over to the gates and flashed the psychic paper at the guards who nodded and let them in without hesitation. Before long, they were knocking at the familiar black door of Ten Downing Street.

* * *

The Doctor and Rose traipsed back into the flat about four hours later, not having had any success. They had managed to get inside Number Ten by pretending they were government officials but nothing had happened. The Doctor suspected it might have been because the building had been rebuilt since their adventure but it was worth a try. After Downing Street, the pair had returned to the TARDIS. On the way there, they had encountered a whole coach load of Japanese tourists and had nearly been forced apart. The Doctor had just grabbed Rose's hand at the last moment before she'd been shunted off down the pavement by the tourists. They'd stood still, much to the annoyance of the businessmen behind them, until the crowd had passed and the Doctor was just about to walk off when he noticed Rose was staring at their still entwined hands. He'd quickly loosened his grip, not having noticed he was still holding her hand, but she'd held on.

"You OK?" he asked her, wondering why she was still staring at their hands.

She turned her head to look at him. "You know before, when I still had my memories, did we hold hands a lot?"

The Doctor smiled slightly. "Yes we did. Most of the time in fact. Why'd you ask?"

Rose shrugged. "It feels sort of familiar. Every time I've held you hand since… you know… I've felt a tingle running up my arm,"

"Does it make you uncomfortable?" he asked her, secretly thrilled she was still getting tingles,

"No," she denied, "I kind of like it really."

The Doctor had smiled and they'd continued walking, neither one dropping the other's hand.

"Any luck?" Jackie asked suddenly, pulling the Doctor back to the present.

He shook his head regretfully. "We've still got plenty of places to visit. Don't give up hope just yet," he said, squeezing Rose's hand.

She nodded and silently pulled away and wandered into the kitchen.

"How's she been?" Jackie asked,

"Fine," the Doctor said, "I think it got a bit overwhelming towards the end which is partly why we've come back. She's coping very well though; I'm so proud of her,"

"Me too," Jackie nodded, sitting down on the sofa wearily, "Where are you planning on going next?"

"Erm… I thought we'd try her college, both of the houses where the Ziola held her prisoner, Deffrey Vale high school and that church…" He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, not really sure what Jackie's reaction would be to his mentioning the church where Pete died,

"That Deffrey Vale has a bad reputation now," Jackie said, forthrightly, "I remember when it was constantly in the papers for excellent results. Now it's constantly in the papers for poor results and bad behaviour,"

"Well, the headmaster when it was good was an alien who was using the children to crack the Skasis Paradigm…" the Doctor muttered. Jackie didn't appear to have heard and continued chattering away about nothing.

The Doctor shook his head and wondered where Rose was. He hoped she was OK. He felt sure that they'd find the trigger somewhere soon. There was so much resting on it.

* * *

_**Review please. Constructive criticism is gladly received**_


	9. Friends

**Memories and the Master**

_**Another chapter for you, my lovely readers. Thanks for the birthday greetings. I had a brilliant birthday and got a remote control dalek and a TARDIS minifridge. So very cool. Off to New York tomorrow which is so exciting but I'm missing Doctor Who! I'm very jealous of all you who can watch it on Saturday. It looks amazing, even without Rose! Thanks for the reviews for last chapter and I hope you like this one. I'll update again sometime over the Easter weekend when I'm home.**_

_**Disclaimer: Nothing you might recognise belongs to me**_

* * *

**Part Nine: Friends**

The next few days passed quickly but they were still no closer to finding the trigger. The Doctor and Rose had visited the places the Doctor had mentioned to Jackie but to no avail. They had briefly encountered Rose's history teacher at her college and the Doctor had explained the situation to her. She had seemed most upset and had told Rose to visit her as soon as her memories returned. If they did.

They were joined by Lauren and Kirsty four days after they'd begun searching, on a trip to the embankment of the Thames near to Canary Wharf. Matt didn't come along, which the Doctor found strange as he'd always known the young man to support Rose whenever he could.

"Has either of you two seen Matt recently?" the Doctor asked, as they were licking ice creams on a bench next to the river. It was a brilliantly sunny late June day and all four of them were feeling particularly hot.

"Nope," Lauren shook her head, "He always makes some excuse if we ask him if he wants to come over and see you."

Rose looked along the bench at her from where she was sitting next to the Doctor. She had made friends with both girls again- much to their delight- on the journey over. "Do you think it's 'cause he can't handle me?" she asked.

Kirsty shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe he's just taking it a bit worse than we are."

Rose nodded and went back to her ice cream. The Doctor said nothing, making a mental note to talk to Jack about the young man later that day. Matt's strange behaviour seemed to have started when he and Jack were alone together in the flat. Maybe something had happened then?

"C'mon," he said eventually, crunching up the remainder of his cone, "Let's go see if the trigger's here,"

"Why would it be here?" Rose asked, looking around, "I don't remember any of the stories you told me took place here,"

"We came here a few times," the Doctor explained, "On weekends and evenings, we sometimes went to the bars and stuff. It's only a slim hope but I'm running out of places in London to go to,"

"What's gonna happen then?" Rose asked,

"We go out in the TARDIS and try other places in the country. There's not that many," said the Doctor, "I'm only concentrating on London because that's where we spent a good part of the six years, one way or another,"

"OK," Rose said and continued to walk down the pavement with her friends.

"What's going on down there?" Lauren asked a couple of minutes later just before they came to a main road.

The Doctor shaded his eyes and saw a large crowd surrounding a black car that slid sleekly away from the pavement next to the tallest building around.

"I think it was Mr. Saxon!" Kirsty said in excitement, "It looked like him!"

"Wow!" Lauren said, "We've actually seen him in real life!"

"Yeah," Rose said, eyeing her two friends, "Have you two entered that competition?"

"_Yeah_!" Lauren said, sounding as if she couldn't believe Rose would ask such a silly thing, "Everyone's entered! I think his name is Max… Max Saxon, it has a nice ring to it!"

"I tried Alex," Kirsty said, "And also Daniel, Adam, Jack and Peter. I hope I win at least one of the runners up prizes!"

Rose looked at the Doctor warily and he shrugged, looking baffled. It seemed as if the whole country had gone Saxon-mad.

* * *

The sun was setting on the Powell Estate by the time the Doctor and Rose returned unsuccessfully home. They'd had dinner out with Kirsty and Lauren and just said goodbye to them before walking back. 

"Do you wanna come into the TARDIS?" the Doctor asked, "You'll only need to sit down and look at some pictures for me,"

"OK," Rose nodded, rubbing her eyes and following him into the blue box. She had come in here a few times since she lost her memory, along with the Doctor, in order to pick up more clothes and other necessities. She knew the Doctor regularly came in here, as well as Jack, and that they both slept in here every night whilst she stayed in the flat. She liked exploring the enormous Time ship and would have gotten lost on more than one occasion, except for the Doctor always being there. She liked that about him.

The Doctor led her over to the long chair next to the main console and sat her down before fiddling with the controls. Suddenly, a picture flashed up on the screen in front of her of a plastic shop window dummy. Rose raised an eyebrow.

"Is that an Auton?" she questioned, intelligently,

"Yup," the Doctor said, grinning proudly, "Not the trigger then?"

Rose shook her head. "But what if I need to see the real thing?"

The Doctor shrugged. "We can do that if we really have to but seeing pictures is much easier," he explained, "Right, next one…"

Rose examined a ghostly like creature which sent shivers up and down her spine.

"The Gelth," the Doctor lectured, "Survive as gas." He glanced at Rose, who still looked blank but interested, before sighing and switching to the next picture. "Cassandra. Liked to call herself the 'last human' but all she was, was a bit of skin stretched over a frame and attached to a frame. We met her twice; once right after we met when we visited the end of the world and she tried to fry us all to death- I told you about that, do you remember?- and we met her again at New Earth where she eventually died in her own arms,"

"How?" Rose asked, looking perplexed.

The Doctor grinned. "We took her back to the last time anyone ever called her beautiful. It happened to be herself but in another's body, but that's Cassandra all over for you!"

"She sounds really nice. Quiet and humble," Rose joked.

The Doctor laughed before moving onto the next picture. "The Face of Boe; this time not an enemy alien. Legend has it next time we meet he'll impart a great secret to me. Haven't seen him since New Earth though and that was _years_ ago!"

"What do you think the secret is?" his companion asked, curiously.

He shrugged. "I'm hoping he'll tell me how they make the bananas at Villengard taste so good!"

Rose rolled her eyes. He really did have an obsession with bananas!

The Doctor caught her action and grinned. "Bananas are good, Rose. Always remember that! Anyhow, next alien and it _is_… the Slitheen!"

The next hour passed pleasantly. Rose saw many different aliens, which she had supposedly seen in real life. She studied dinosaur like monsters called Reapers, human beings with a gas mask from the second world war welded to their skin, a _werewolf_, flying things called Krillitanes, ugly creatures called Sycorax- she remembered the Doctor mentioning how they'd all been murdered by the last Prime Minister-, clockwork robots, chillingly scary looking metal men called Cybermen and a green blob known as the Abzorbaloff. In addition, the Doctor grabbed her mobile phone off her and pointed out two tanned, dark haired humans, who were actually aliens called Ziola and a completely blue girl, who came from somewhere called Crespallion, who was joined in the photo by two other humanoids with white fur covering their bodies and slightly larger than average heads, called Piripians. It was slightly unreal but ever so interesting but none of them was the trigger.

"No luck there then," the Doctor sighed, "Never mind, we're getting closer all the time."

Rose nodded silently. She couldn't help feeling disappointed. She so very badly wanted to get her memories back.

"Do you fancy watching the security visuals from the dance we went to? We could then see who exactly drugged your drink, which might help," the Doctor asked her, "If you're bored, I don't mind if you want to go back to the flat; it's up to you,"

"I'll stay here," Rose decided, wanting to stay with him, "It's boring in the flat anyway. Mum's out at Bev's and I don't know where Jack is so I'll be alone,"

"Talk of the Devil," the Doctor muttered, as the door swung open and Jack walked in, whistling, "Hey stranger!"

Jack jumped and turned to look at them, with a grin. "Hey guys, having fun?"

"We've been looking at pictures of aliens we've encountered to see if any of them is the trigger," Rose told him, with a bright smile. She had spent some time with the ex-Time Agent over the last few days and they'd grown closer.

"Sounds cool," Jack said, "But no luck?"

She shook her head and shrugged.

"Never mind," he said, "D'ya want a cup of tea? I'm just about to make one,"

"Yeah, please," she nodded, "Thanks, Jack."

"My pleasure, honey," he grinned, before bounding energetically out of the control room. The Doctor looked after him.

"I just need to have a word with him about Matt," he told Rose, "You could start watching the visuals if you like?"

Rose nodded and he quickly explained how to work them; by saying forward, stop, play, pause or varying other words and the TARDIS would automatically play the films as she desired. Then, the Doctor quickly exited the room, leaving Rose on her own.

* * *

Unsurprisingly, the security visuals were deadly dull to watch and neither the Doctor nor Jack nor Rose could watch more than half an hour before almost falling asleep. As a result, they mixed watching them with outings out to different places. They spent the next few days exploring the last few places in London that the Doctor could think of but were entirely unsuccessful. The constant searching was beginning to wear Rose down but she refused to show weakness to the Doctor. It would be too embarrassing to break down in front of him, especially as the Time Lord never showed any emotion to her. Little did she know, however, that the Doctor was slowly falling into a pit of despair and spent most nights hugging a pillow that had her scent on and trying to keep back the odd stray tear. His hearts were slowly breaking. 

On the last day of June, the Doctor whisked Rose off in the TARDIS to visit Cardiff as that was another place they had visited a lot. Lauren and Kirsty had begged to be allowed to come too, although why Rose didn't have any idea- Cardiff was just Cardiff after all-, and the Doctor had finally relented, allowing the two girls to experience their first trip in the TARDIS.

Back in London, Jack had a mission. It had been over a week since Matt had rushed out on him and no-one had seen hair nor hide of the young man since. After the Doctor had asked him after Matt a few days earlier, Jack had decided it was high time to force Matt to face his fears, so-to-speak.

So, as a result, he found himself marching down Beech Street where Matt lived and knocking on his front door.

"Can I help you?"

Jack looked at the brown haired woman in front of her. She looked to be in her late forties and had laughter lines scattered all over her face. Jack warmed to her on sight.

"Excuse me, ma'am," he said, politely, "Is Matt in?"

She looked slightly suspicious. "Who wants to know?"

"My name is Jack; I'm a friend of Matts',"

"Oh!" Matt's mother's face cleared. "_You're_ Jack? Pleased to meet you; Matt's spoken of you often. I'll just call him."

Jack nodded his thanks and stood back as she called for her son. After about thirty seconds, there came a thundering down the stairs and Matt came into view. He came to an abrupt halt upon seeing the ex-Time Agent.

"Hi Matt," Jack said, calmly, "Wanna go for a walk?"

Matt looked uncertainly at his mother who beamed encouragingly at him.

"Oh, go on, Matt! It's a lovely day and you've spent too much time indoors recently!"

"OK," Matt mumbled, pulling some shoes on and walking out of the door, "See you later, Mum."

She waved and closed the door as the two men trudged down the drive and along the street.

"You alright?" Jack finally asked.

Matt shrugged, keeping his eyes fixed on the ground. "Where's the Doctor and Rose?"

"Gone to Cardiff for the day with Kirsty and Lauren," Jack answered, "So they won't be disturbing us if you want to talk,"

"About what?" Matt muttered,

"About what happened," Jack said, gently,

"Nothing happened," Matt said resolutely, kicking a pebble along the pavement,

"It did, Matt," Jack said, "And you've got to face up to it. Everyone has noticed you've disappeared right when you need to be by Rose's side, supporting her through this…"

"Why's it always about Rose?" Matt snapped suddenly, "It's never me or anyone else. The attention is always centred on her and if you don't focus on her, you're the bad guy! I'm sick of it and I'm sick of her"

Silence remained for a few seconds before Jack quietly spoke, "You don't mean that. I know you don't mean that."

"But what if I do?" Matt cried, spinning around to finally face Jack, "What then?"

Jack looked steadily at the trembling young man in front of him before suddenly reaching forward and pressing his lips to Matt's. He kissed back for a few seconds before seeming to realise what he was doing and jerking back, breathing erratically.

"What the hell was that for?" he shouted,

"You're not sick of Rose," Jack said, "You're just using that as a cover for your real fear- that you think you might be gay."

Matt took in several deep shuddering breaths before locking eyes with the ex-Time Agent. "I don't hate Rose," he whispered, tears appearing in his eyes, "I love her; she's one of my best friends. I'm sorry I said that,"

"It's alright, pal," Jack said, "You seem to displace your fears quite a lot. I remember just after we first met, you gave Rose a hard time after discovering the Doctor was alien because you were scared of him and Rose was an easy target."

Matt winced, hating to remember that month all that time ago. "I guess," he mumbled before sighing. "Jack?" he then asked, desperately looking at his friend, "What do I do?"

The ex-Time Agent looked thoughtfully back at him before leading him to sit on a patch of grass in a strangely deserted park. "First thing, I think, is to work out whether you're fully gay or just bi. I, myself, am omni, but you won't be that," he added, with a little laugh,

"How come?" Matt asked, feeling a little calmer. He knew Jack would help him sort it out.

"Omni is basically liking anyone or anything," Jack defined, "That can be men, women, aliens, you name it."

Matt's eyes widened. "OK, I'm definitely not omnisexual then!" he giggled, "I think… I think I might be bi, though. I fancy girls but I also fancy some guys like…" He blushed a deep scarlet.

"Me?" Jack finished and Matt nodded, not daring to look him in the eye. "That's cool," Jack continued, "Lots of people and beings fancy me. Hell, _I_ even fancy me; I'm just so damn good looking!"

Matt laughed, feeling relieved that his friend hadn't taken it badly.

"Alright then, Matt," Jack said, "I don't know how long me, the Doctor and Rose are gonna be stuck on this planet but until we leave I'm gonna give you an education in the art of being bisexual, OK?"

Matt shyly looked up at him and nodded. "How?" he asked,

"I'll take you to some bi-bars in London that I know of," Jack answered, "And get you mingling. I'm willing to teach you some _techniques_, if you catch my drift, if you want me to."

Matt blushed violently but nodded. "Thanks, Jack," he said, "Really appreciate this,"

"It's no problem," he answered, "Anything to help one of my best mates."

And he really meant that too.

* * *

The TARDIS rematerialised in her favourite spot in the Powell Estate grounds. About a minute later, the door opened and three hyper young women fell out followed by a bemused Time Lord. 

"That was the best experience of my life!" Lauren giggled,

"Totally," Kirsty agreed, "We _have_ to that again some time!"

"Erm… right," the Doctor nodded, reaching out an arm to catch Rose who looked as if she was about to topple over, "Steady there, Rose!"

Rose giggled as she hung off his arm, lolling her head backwards. "You look funny, Doctor," she sniggered, "You're all upside down!"

The Doctor rolled his eyes and hauled her upwards and secured her in the crook of his arm. He thought the girls might have had a little too much pixie dust and alcohol in Cardiff. "You," he told Rose, "are going to have a hell of a headache later,"

"Don't care," she slurred, "You're the Doctor, you'll fix me up." She giggled and launched out of his grip and joined her friends who were dancing the conga around the grounds.

The Doctor grinned and contemplated joining them. For a moment, it almost felt like before, before Rose's memories had gone, when they'd mucked around together, just having fun without a care in the world.

Suddenly, a whole chain of vehicles pulled up into the Estate, screeching to a halt and men with cameras began piling out of different vans and cars and running towards the arrival of a posh black car. The Doctor narrowed his eyes and strolled over to where Rose and her friends were curiously watching the spectacle. He slipped his hand into Rose's unconsciously just as Lauren and Kirsty gasped.

Walking regally towards them, followed by all the cameramen, was Mr. Saxon.

"Good evening," he said, when he reached them, "I'm looking for Rose Tyler."

Rose shot a look at the Doctor before stepping forward, still clasping his hand. "That's me," she said.

Mr. Saxon smiled and extended his hand to her. "Hello Rose Tyler," he greeted, shaking her hand enthusiastically, "Who might your friends be?"

"Oh, this is Kirsty, Lauren and the Doctor," Rose answered, nodding to each in turn,

"Pleased to meet you," Mr. Saxon said, looking at all three of them but the Doctor in particular, "Anyway, I am here to personally tell you, Rose Tyler, that you have won first prize in the guess my forename competition."

Rose gasped, which was echoed by Kirsty and Lauren.

"What was your guess, Rose?" Kirsty asked urgently,

"Ah, I think that secret can wait until the official ceremony," Mr. Saxon said, "And then you can announce to the world what my name is!"

Rose smiled, sneaking a look at the Doctor who grinned back. "When will that be?" he asked,

"The sixteenth of July," the Prime Minister declared grandly, "So, just over two weeks from now. It will follow our one-on-one conversation. I look forward to seeing you then, then Rose Tyler,"

"Yes, thank you, Mr. Saxon," Rose said, grinning as he shook her hand once again and cameras flashed all around them.

"Mr. Saxon?" Lauren asked, as he was about to leave, "Can we have your autograph?"

He looked faintly amused. "Not until after my forename is revealed, Lauren," he said, "But then you can, I promise."

"Oh, thank you!" Lauren said, looking thrilled as the Prime Minster returned to the car. She turned excitedly to Kirsty whilst Rose looked dazedly up at the Doctor, who gently hugged her.

She'd won the competition. Wait 'til her Mum heard about _this_!

* * *

_**Review please. Constructive criticism is gladly received**_


	10. Kisses and Hugs

**Memories and the Master**

**_The title's inspired by Hershey's Kisses and Hugs (a brand of American chocolate which i fell in love with). Feel free to thank the three hour queue I had to stand in for the Empire State Building as I brainstormed to ignore how much my feet were hurting! Other than that, I had a good time in NY. Hope you like this chapter; not too sure about the ending scene- tell me what you think._**

_**Disclaimer: Nothing you might recognise belongs to me**_

* * *

**Part Ten: Kisses and Hugs**

Suffice to say, Jackie had been _extremely_ thrilled to hear that her daughter had won the most publicised competition _ever_. She'd immediately organised a celebration party which went on to the early hours and involved many people that Rose had never ever met. At least, she couldn't remember ever meeting them. The week that followed was a hectic one for Rose. Along with having to put up with her mother's activities (a shopping spree and beauty makeover had followed the party as Jackie insisted that her daughter had to look fantastic for the cameras. The Doctor had said she looked fantastic anyway and Rose had beamed at him), she had to contend with several interviews for different tabloids and TV programmes; both British and abroad. Everyone wanted to know what her guess had been but the Prime Minister's secretary had phoned her up on the evening she'd discovered she'd won and made her promise not to tell _anybody_. Rose had firmly kept that promise and the only person who knew was the Doctor, who had already known.

As a result of everything happening, Rose was thoroughly relieved on the Friday night- just over a week later- to find that her mother was out at a social evening, Kirsty and Lauren were busy and Matt and Jack had gone out together somewhere. That left Rose and the Doctor alone together, which didn't bother either in the slightest.

Currently, they were watching a movie on the television in the lounge. The room was only lit by two side-lamps, leaving long shadows on the floor and the occupants in semi-darkness. The Doctor and Rose were sitting side by side, enjoying it tremendously. Rose stretched as an advert came on and turned to grin at the Doctor.

"This is good," she said, "I love it,"

"Me too," he replied absently. A thought had suddenly struck him as to what the trigger might be. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it before! "Rose," he said, slowly, "I'm gonna try something, OK? If you don't like it, then just push me away,"

"Alright," Rose whispered, her eyes wide but trusting all the same. She watched as the Doctor leant towards her and then carefully put his lips on hers and softly kissed her. She gasped into his mouth, which the Doctor took an opportunity to deepen the kiss, tucking a strand of hair away behind her ear and caressing her cheek as he did. He was overjoyed when Rose began to kiss back, a bit insecurely at first, before hooking an arm around his neck and unconsciously tapping her fingers on his shoulder.

The Doctor gave her one last kiss before moving away slightly and watching her. Her lips were slightly red as she breathed out harshly before dropping her head onto his chest limply.

"Rose?" he asked her worriedly,

"No," she whispered, not lifting her head, "It wasn't the trigger,"

"Damn," the Doctor cursed, "I was so sure. It's like that in your human fairytales. Prince Charming kisses the girl and everything's alright again." He waited for the customary comeback along the lines of "It's a shame _Prince Charming_ didn't kiss me," that Rose would always come out with before and had even said (although not those exact words) a few times in the past week, but nothing happened. "Rose, are you alright?" he checked.

She nodded, still not moving her head from his chest. "I'm fine. Films starting again, let's watch it."

The Doctor nodded and returned his attention to the telly in front of them.

That is, until about ten minutes later, he heard a quiet sniffing coming from Rose's direction.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" he asked,

"Nothing, I'm fine," came her insistent reply,

"Look at me, Rose," the Doctor commanded softly, "'Cause obviously something's wrong. You wouldn't be crying if everything was fine. The film's not remotely sad and it can't be me…" He stopped suddenly. "It wasn't the kiss, was it? Did that make you upset? Oh God, I can't believe I made you cry just by _kissing_ you! Am I really that bad?"

"No," Rose said, interrupting him with a weak giggle, "No way."

The Doctor felt a moment of male pride before suddenly coming back to the issue at hand. "So, why _are_ you crying?"

"I'm not crying!" she responded adamantly,

"Yes, you are. You don't need to be ashamed. It's OK to cry in front of me,"

"No, it's not!" Rose cried out.

The Doctor's eyes widened as he suddenly understood what part of the problem was. "Oh, Rose sweetheart," he sighed, putting his hands under her arms and pulling her onto his lap and then against his chest. One arm anchored her to him and the other cupped her cheek, stopping her attempts to hide her face and the obvious tear tracks from him.

"Why do you think that?" he asked, gazing into her eyes.

Rose blinked and looked away. "'Cause…'cause… It doesn't matter,"

"Rose?"

"'Cause you're always so strong," she admitted in a rush, "You never look upset or let your defences down and I don't want to look weak in front of you." She looked directly at him again. "It's stupid,"

"No, it's not," he reassured her, "Rose, I'm anything but strong especially where you're concerned. You shouldn't be embarrassed about crying or showing any other sort of emotion in front of me. I know you can't remember but we've experienced everything together. We've been through the highs and the lows and seen each other at our worst and also at our best. It's OK to cry if you need to and you're very welcome to do it in my arms if you want to, do you understand?"

Rose nodded shakily; all her emotions battling inside her.

"So, what's wrong then?" the Doctor asked.

Rose sighed and placed her head on his shoulder. "It's been nearly a month," she began lowly, "And we're running out of things to try as the trigger. What if its something that we can't reach like, I dunno, that planet near that Black Hole you told me about." She paused and sniffed. "What if we never find it and I never get those memories back?" Her voice became shrill and tears slipped down her cheeks. "I want them back so much. You've told me everything that happened and I really want to remember them, I want to remember who you are and what we've experienced and I want to _feel_ what I know I used to feel towards you and what you feel towards me but I can't!"

The Doctor's eyes were sad as he slipped a hand underneath her t-shirt and began to rub slow comforting circles over her back while he listened to her pour her heart out.

"I know I've gotten used to how my life is now but I so desperately want my old one back. I _need_ to find that trigger but it's getting more and more unlikely as you've said we've _tried_ everything on Earth. I'm just so terrified that I won't remember ever again and that just hurts so much!" She broke off and buried her face in his neck, crying desperate hot tears as she relieved herself of every worry she had.

The Doctor cuddled her tightly, his hand still rubbing circles on her back and his lips pressing delicate kisses onto her hair in between whispering calming words into her ear and telling her not to give up, there was still hope and he was so proud of her for coping.

He let her cry herself out in his arms before she fell asleep, the film forgotten. He watched her lovingly for a while, his mind ticking over with possibilities for the trigger that they still had to try. He was determined not to give up or let her give up. Feeling warm and comfortable, the Doctor let himself join his angel in sleep.

* * *

He was woken about an hour later, however, by Rose mumbling something. 

"What?" he muttered, rubbing his eyes and looking at her, "Rose?"

"I want you safe. My Doctor. Protected from the false God," she whispered.

The Doctor's stomach dropped. He recognised those words. "Rose?" he asked, gently cupping her head so he could see her face. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing steadily.

"You are tiny…"

She was talking in her sleep, the Doctor deduced. And she was dreaming about when she was Bad Wolf and had defeated the Daleks. The Doctor's mind worked quickly. If she could dream about this event, maybe her memories were in her subconscious. Maybe they were close to coming back. He paused for a second, pondering his options. There was the moral one and then there was the other one.

"Please forgive me, my love," he whispered, before placing his hands on her temples and entering her mind. He had promised himself he'd never do this to Rose without her permission but he really didn't have any other option. The answer to getting her memories back might lie in this dream.

Immediately he was plunged into the dream. He shivered as he saw Rose standing in front of him and the Emperor Dalek, glowing with light and power.

_"…I can see the whole of time and space. Every single atom of your existence," Rose said, without a flicker of emotion on her face, holding out her hand, "And I divide them."_

_The Dalek, which the Doctor remembered trying to exterminate her, elegantly divided into separate particles, which hung in the air in a sort of mist,_

"_Everything must come to dust," Rose continued, "All things. Everything dies." She opened her arms and all the surrounding Daleks met a similar fate before shimmering away._

"_I will not die! I cannot die!" the Emperor Dalek screamed, before dissolving into dust,_

"_The Time War ends," Rose said simply, before smiling blissfully._

_The Doctor watched his crouching ninth form speak to Rose. He remembered how scared he felt at that moment._

"_That's it. Rose, you've done it, now let go, just stop-"_

"_How could I ever let this go?" Rose questioned, before gesturing, "I bring life,"_

_The Doctor knew that somewhere close by, Jack had just been brought back to life. His earlier forms raging brought him back to the current scene._

"_But this is wrong! You can't control life and death-!"_

"_But I can. The sun and the moon and the light and the dark…" She suddenly looked child-like, "But why do they hurt..?"_

_The Doctor watched as his previous self came forward, acting more compassionately. _

"_It's eating you alive. The power's gonna kill you. And it's my fault,"_

"_But… I can see everything. All that is. All that was. All that ever could be."_

_The ninth Doctor smiled sadly. "That's what I see. All the time. And doesn't it drive you mad..?"_

_A tear dripped down Rose's cheek. She suddenly seemed more human and scared. "My head…" she whispered,_

"_Come here," the earlier Doctor replied, holding out a hand._

_Rose took it, shaking a little. "…It's killing me…"_

_The current Doctor grinned at his next words, cheesy as they might have been._

"_I think you need a Doctor."_

_The Doctor watched as his ninth self leant in slowly and pressed his lips against Roses', pulling all the power out of her. He smiled at the scene. That had been his very first kiss with Rose although she didn't remember it._

Suddenly he felt himself visibly forced out of Rose's mind. He opened his eyes once he felt himself back in his own body. Rose was awake and staring at him, a shocked look in her eyes.

"Were…" She swallowed nervously, "Were you just in my mind?"

The Doctor looked back at her, suddenly terrified.

"I'm sorry, Rose," he rambled, "I'm really sorry for invading your privacy and I know I don't deserve your forgiveness but I had a reason…"

"Doctor?" Rose asked, quietly, "What happened?"

He looked at her. She stared back, a mixture of confusion and worry in her eyes. But there was no anger. None at all.

"You were talking in your sleep," he began, almost nervously. If there was one person in the world that could scare him, it was Rose when she was cross with him. Not even Jackie could scare him that much. "And you were saying words… sentences that I could remember you saying before when you became Bad Wolf- when you defeated the Daleks,"

"But… but I don't remember that!" Rose said, looking really confused, "How can I dream about something that I don't remember?"

"That's what I wanted to find out," the Doctor said, rubbing the back of his neck, "And that's why I went into your mind… I'm so sorry, Rose,"

"It's OK," she said, touching her temples, "I forgive you."

The Doctor breathed out. "You are wonderful, you know that?" he told her, kissing her forehead delicately,

"I'm not but thanks for the compliment," she replied, "So; you can enter people's minds then?"

"Yup," the Doctor confirmed, "Time Lord trick. But I don't do it too often and always try and get people's permission first if possible,"

"OK," Rose accepted before laying her head back down on his shoulder with a sigh, "Did you see anything that might be a clue?" she questioned, trying to keep the hope out of her voice,

"I don't know," he answered, scratching his head, "I really don't know."

* * *

The Doctor and Rose went back to searching with more determination the next day. They felt as if they'd become closer after getting their feelings out in the open and Rose could see more than ever why she'd previously fallen in love with the Time Lord. 

However, the problem was that they'd exhausted the Doctor's list of possible triggers by the following Monday and as they couldn't leave the Earth seeing as the big ceremony with Mr. Saxon was on the Saturday, the two found themselves with little to do. They spent time with one another, trying to avoid Jackie and the press, and generally had fun. On the Wednesday, it was the thousand runners up conference with Mr. Saxon. Rose didn't know anybody who had won other than the nephew twice removed of the sister of the best friend of her neighbour's son-in-laws secret girlfriend. The fact that the son-in-law had been cheating on his wife didn't seem to bother anyone as they were too caught up in Saxon madness. Rose despaired of humans sometimes.

As a result of it being the big conference, the press's attention was directed on the runners up rather than on her for the day, something which she was profoundly grateful for. It was beginning to get more than a little annoying to have people with microphones and Dictaphones and mobile phones following her and the Doctor around all day. There had been speculation about her relationship with him and Rose had refused to speak to any reporters after finding that a tabloid had printed an article stating that she was in an intense romantic relationship with the Doctor and a reporter had quoted him saying he was about to propose any day now. All of that had been entirely untrue and Rose could barely look at the Doctor after seeing it. He'd just laughed and the next time the paparazzi were around, he'd kissed her on the lips with her full permission. The following days headlines had been hilarious.

The streets were quiet as Rose wandered along the pavement late in the early evening on the Wednesday. The Doctor had been trying to repair the TARDIS and had told her he'd meet her in half an hour to get some dinner. He'd said he needed to get the part fixed as soon as possible so Rose had left him to it and gone shopping.

She paused to admire a skirt in a shop window that was way out of her price range but still gorgeous. It would look amazing on her and would go really nicely with that creamy top the Doctor had bought her yesterday. He was so nice, always buying her things that she'd seen and liked. Rose couldn't really ask for anyone better. He was everything she'd ever dreamed of and was happy that she'd had a relationship with him even if she couldn't remember it!

Moving on, she looked into the next shop window and looked at the different shoes on display. There were some really nice sandals in the top left hand corner…

Suddenly, a prickling ran down her spine. She could hear a sort of rumbling sound, but it wasn't thunder. Other shoppers to her left and right had noticed the noise as well and were looking around curiously, wondering what it was.

A gasp came from a young woman to Rose's right. She stared into the reflective glass of the window, following the woman's eye line, and let out her own gasp. Trundling towards her was a sea of what looked like dustbins with eye stalks and whisks.

"EXTERMINATE!"

Rose screamed.

* * *

The Doctor strolled down the road towards where he knew Rose was shopping, enjoying the late afternoon sunshine. He'd finished fixing the TARDIS quicker than he'd expected and decided to surprise Rose by meeting her earlier. He grinned as he thought of her. She'd certainly come a long way since a month ago and, especially since their talk last Friday, she seemed to have blossomed. She certainly seemed more affectionate towards him, which completely delighted him. 

Suddenly a scream ripped through the air followed by another and then another. He froze as he heard a cry which made his blood run cold.

"EXTERMINATE!"

"ROSE!" he shouted in a panic and took off at a run.

* * *

Rose backed against the shop window, staring in fear at the metal dustbins which could talk in a grating voice. People around her were trying to run, to get away from these strange things- _aliens?_ Rose's mind suggested—but as soon as they attempted to escape, a sort of laser beam shot out of a stick on the casing. The victims glowed for a second, and Rose could clearly see their skeletons, before slumping down onto the ground, dead. 

The screaming grew louder as did the shrieks of "EXTERMINATE!" and the dead bodies littering the street. Rose's heart was beating at a furious rate, her body was battling to decide on flight or fight, her blood was pumping violently and sweat was beading on her brow and under her armpits. She had never felt so terrified in all her remembered life and suddenly desperately wished that the Doctor was here with her. Forcing herself not to panic, she slowly looked around trying to judge her chances of survival. They weren't high and got even lower as one of the eye stalks swivelled around to face her. Rose gave a small whimper before straightening her back and looking the thing in what she assumed to be its eye. If she was about to die, then so be it. She only wished she'd been able to tell the Doctor a last goodbye before she went.

Suddenly, she began to feel strange as if she was withdrawing into herself. An unearthly voice began to sing inside her head and light began to shine all around her.

_We are the Bad Wolf_ a female voice whispered, instantly calming her. _Together, Rose Tyler, we are the Bad Wolf_

Rose shivered before suddenly knowing what she had to do. She had to end it all.

* * *

The Doctor skidded to a halt, ducking down behind an abandoned car, as he watched the sight before his eyes. 

Rose was standing with her back against a shop window, surrounded by a semi-circle of Daleks. She was glowing with power and a shiver went down the Doctor's spine. It was happening again. Somehow, Bad Wolf had remained in Rose and somehow she'd unleashed it again.

"I am the Bad Wolf." Rose's voice floated up the deserted street to the Doctor's ears, "I have lain undisturbed for five years but now it is time to act once more,"

"You shall be exterminated!" shrieked one of the Daleks. A ray of light headed straight towards Rose and the Doctor felt his hearts physically leap into his throat. However, Rose put out a hand and sent it back at the Dalek, instantly destroying it.

"I destroyed your predecessors," Rose said, "And I will destroy you."

She lifted her arms, the light surrounding her growing stronger and brighter and the Doctor swore he could hear a voice softly singing, reminded him of Gallifrey. As her arms lifted, Rose's eyes began glowing and, just as it had back on satellite five, the army of what the Doctor approximated to be nearly a thousand Daleks turned to dust. Just like that, they had gone.

Turning his head back to Rose, he discovered her slumped with her face in her knees on the floor, all signs of Bad Wolf gone now. He hurried towards her, dropping to his knees in front of her.

"Rose?" he said, softly, reaching out and touching her cheek lightly.

She looked up, seeming to be in complete shock and devoid of any tears. She was extremely pale.

"Are you alright, sweetheart?" the Doctor asked,

"Doctor," she breathed, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her face in his neck, the tears now coming thick and fast, "Doctor," she mumbled again, "My Doctor,"

"Your Doctor," he gently told her, "My Rose,"

"Doctor," she whispered shakily, raising her tearstained face to his, "I…I remember."

* * *

_**Review please. Constructive criticism is gladly received**_


	11. I Remember

**Memories and the Master**

**_Many thanks for the reviews! Not a lot really happens this chapter; it's just a load of Doctor and Rose bonding stuff. Promise more action and answers will come next chapter! Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading. Also many thanks to IndeMaat for their helpful _****_story 'The Doctor Helps Out' (how to update when this website is screwed up again). _**

**_Disclaimer: Nothing you might recognise belongs to me_**

* * *

**Part Eleven: I Remember **

The Doctor's mind went blank for a split second before he forced it back into action. "You… you remember?" he repeated, hoarsely.

Rose nodded, her eyes bright with tears,

"_Everything_?" he whispered, cupping her cheeks with his hands and using his thumbs to wipe away her tears,

"Everything," she confirmed quietly,

"Oh Rose," the Doctor whispered, tears building in his eyes, "Oh God, _finally_!"

Rose gave a shaky giggle and smiled, staring at the man whom she now _knew_ she loved. He smiled weakly back at her before edging nearer and lowering his lips to hers.

"No…" she whispered, moving back, "No Doctor, please."

She saw confusion in his eyes before he blinked. "OK, Rose, it's OK,"

"Thanks," she murmured, a tear rolling down her cheek, swiftly followed by another one and then another. "Doctor…" she whispered, sounding almost like she was pleading,

"Come here, my angel," he replied, gathering her up in his arms, "It's gonna be alright, it's over now." He held Rose tight as she sobbed in his arms, letting a few of his own tears fall down his cheeks. He was so grateful that she could remember who he was now. The past month had been absolute hell for him.

"Doctor," she mumbled, "Why's it hurt so much?"

"What hurts?" he questioned her, cupping her cheeks with his hands gently,

"My head," she whispered, staring at him through watery eyes, "All the memories are forcing their way in and it hurts."

The Doctor bit his lip. "Rose, I'll try and make this a bit easier on you. Do you trust me?"

Rose looked him directly in the eye. "Always," she murmured.

He slid his arms up her face to her temples and closed his eyes.

"There we go," he murmured, as she fell limp against him, "You're gonna be alright, Rose, I promise."

Taking a quick look around at the empty street, bar for the dead bodies, he made a quick decision. He needed to get them both out of here before anybody arrived to see them here. That would cause some unwanted attention. Carefully hoisting Rose's unconscious form up into his arms so her head was resting against his shoulder and her arms and legs were wrapped securely around his body, the Doctor began the long, slow walk back to the Powell Estate.

* * *

"Jackie, would you like me to cook tonight?" Jack asked, appearing at the kitchen door, "As it's just the two of us," 

"Oh, thanks Jack," Jackie replied, gratefully,

"No problem," the ex-Time Agent grinned, putting on his favourite apron- the front showed the naked front of a man. Jack and the Doctor were a little puzzled about exactly why Jackie had such an apron, "Why don't you pour us a drink each. Rose and the Doctor won't be back for ages,"

"Good idea," Jackie smiled, opening the fridge and pulling out a half drunk bottle of wine, "They're getting closer suddenly, aren't they?"

"Yeah," Jack said, "It's good. The Doctor's been so miserable since it happened. It's not visible to everyone but I can tell. Course, Rose can tell if he's upset from the second his mood changes, or so it seems sometimes."

Jackie nodded in agreement. "I never liked the Doctor when he was in his old body until he sent Rose back that time. After that, I liked him more. I could see my daughter was infatuated with him and I had to be prepared to like him."

Jack smiled. "He's more likeable in this body, I think. I'm not saying the old one didn't have some good points 'cause he did- lots of them- but he's so different now,"

"I know what you mean," Jackie said, "And I think so are you. I know I never met you before when you first travelled with Rose and the Doctor but you're so different now to how you were when I did first meet you. You've… I dunno how to describe it. You've become a very lovely young man,"

"Aww thanks, Jackie," Jack said, feeling touched,

"I mean it, Jack. I've been watching how you've been patient with Rose these past few weeks and taken a backseat so she can reconnect with the Doctor, and also how you've taken care of Matt,"

"Well, he _is_ one of my best mates…"

"Still, Jack," Jackie said, "It's not everyone who could do what you've done to help him."

Jack was saved having to answer by the front door crashing open.

"What on earth?" Jackie cried, running out of the kitchen, "_Rose_! What's happened?"

The Doctor carefully set his still unconscious angel on her feet, keeping a steady arm around her waist before answering Jackie. "Her memories have come back."

Both Jack and Jackie cried out with delight, feeling their hearts lift joyfully and the weight lifting from their shoulders. They made to run towards her to hug her, not realising she was unconscious as her face was hidden, before the Doctor stopped them.

"She's in shock," he told them, "I'm gonna take her into her room. Please just give her some time."

They nodded understandingly and watched as the Doctor carried Rose into her room.

Once inside, he placed her onto the bed, removing her shoes before pulling the duvet over her. He then perched on the edge of the single bed, gazing at her and softly stroking the back of her hand with his thumb whilst he patiently waited for her to awake.

* * *

Rose shot up in bed a couple of hours later, breathing erratically. 

"It's alright, sweetheart," the Doctor said, moving swiftly to her side,

"Doctor?" she asked,

"I'm here," he said, taking her hands in both of his, "Are you feeling alright?"

"What… what happened?" she stuttered, "Last thing I remember was that the Daleks were surrounding me and… oh my God, I can remember!" She beamed happily up at the Doctor before her smile slowly slid off her face. "But… but what were the Daleks doing there?" she rubbed her eyes, completely confused, "Doctor, what happened?"

"Bad Wolf happened," he told her, watching her face closely,

"Bad Wolf?" she whispered, looking shocked, "But… how?"

The Doctor shrugged. "I was hoping you could fill me in on that. Think hard; do you remember what happened when you saw the Daleks?"

Rose frowned, hugging her knees to her chest as she thought. "I remember feeling sort of odd…" she began slowly, "I thought I'd had it 'cause the Daleks were surrounding me." She let out a shaky breath as the memory came back. The Doctor immediately reached out and took one of her hands to try and offer some comfort. She smiled at him gratefully. "But then I felt as if I was withdrawing into myself and I could hear this music and see this bright white light and… and then this voice spoke to me… inside my head, you know, and it told me that we were the Bad Wolf together… and then I just knew what I had to do… I dunno how to explain it,"

"It's OK. I think I understand," the Doctor said, "I'm not entirely sure but I think when you enter into a highly emotional state when you're faced with extreme danger, like the Daleks, you unleash the Bad Wolf,"

"But how?" Rose said, looking confused, "I became Bad Wolf after I took the Vortex into my body but you said you got that all out…"

"I thought I had," the Doctor confessed, "I really don't know, sweetheart. I'm as puzzled about it as you are,"

"That's a change," Rose commented dryly.

The Doctor grinned, glad she could still joke.

"Where did the Daleks come from?" she then asked, "I thought they were all destroyed before."

The Doctor shrugged. "Again, I don't know. I'm not doing a very good job here am I?"

Rose shook her head before lapsing into a silence. "Did I destroy all the Daleks again?" she asked, after a while,

"Yes," the Doctor confirmed cautiously.

Rose sighed. "I feel so bad about it," she whispered,

"There's nothing to feel bad about, Rose," the Doctor immediately said, "They were murdering people and you stopped that,"

"Yeah, by murdering a load of aliens instead," she muttered, furiously wiping away a fallen tear, "I mean I know Daleks are really evil creatures but I didn't even give them a chance to leave. I'm as bad as they are!"

"No you are not," the Doctor said firmly, squeezing her hand to gain her attention from where she was examining her bent knees, "What you are doing right now shows that you are not as bad as they are,"

"What?" Rose asked, raising her head almost hopefully,

"This guilt complex," he explained, "Daleks never feel guilty about what they do. They have no emotions but you do. Rose, my love, your actions have saved so many people's lives; not only those who were around the area today but those in the future who may have come into contact with the Daleks if you hadn't nipped it in the bud today. You're a heroine really."

Rose sniffed and wiped her eyes before raising her arms in the classic 'I want a hug' action. The Doctor didn't hesitate, pulling her so she was straddling his lap and then hugging her tightly. He felt her shoulders begin to shake as she let out her sobs into his chest, starting to feel completely overwhelmed by the events of the day.

"Let it out," the Doctor whispered, stroking her back and hair, "We're gonna be alright." He slowly began to rock her from side to side before beginning to sing the words of the Gallifreyan lullaby that he'd originally sung her before the whole memory loss episode began. That seemed like so long ago now and so far in the past that he couldn't reach it. But he was determined to try for all their sakes. Suddenly feeling Rose grow heavy against him as she relaxed into slumber, the Doctor gently placed her back under the covers of her bed to sleep. Lightly kissing her cheek, he made his way back over to the window where he stood, staring out at the stars above him.

* * *

"Doctor?" 

Rose's timid voice broke the Doctor out of his musing from where he was staring out at the slowly rising sun. It was around a quarter past four in the morning and he'd been sitting on the broad window sill all night.

I'm here," he answered, "Over by the window."

He watched as Rose sat up in bed and peered through the semi darkness in the room. She gingerly climbed out of bed and made her way over to him.

"Hey," he greeted her, budging up so she could sit next to him, "How are you feeling?"

"Got a bit of a headache," she said, resting her head on his shoulder,

"That's probably from the sudden memory regain," the Doctor said, running his fingers through her blonde locks, "It'll pass. You could take a paracetamol if you wanted,"

"I might," Rose said, shifting slightly and wrapping her arms around his middle, "I'm so glad I got my memories back,"

"Me too," the Doctor grinned, pressing a kiss to her forehead,

"Doctor?"

"Yeah?" he asked, gazing at her out of his dark eyes,

"I know the past month hasn't been easy on you," she began, "And I'm truly sorry for what I've put you through…"

"It wasn't your fault," the Doctor interrupted,

"I know but I still hurt you," Rose stated, looking straight at him, "I don't know what I'd do if you suddenly couldn't remember who I was,"

"Let's just hope that never happens," the Doctor said, drawing her into a tight hug,

"Yeah," she nodded, "Doctor, thanks for everything. I really don't know what I'd have done without you these past few weeks,"

"You're welcome," he replied, kissing her hair lightly, "You are, and always will be, the most important person in my life and as I've told you countless times before; I'll always be here for you, my beautiful girl."

Rose breathed out in pleasure and cuddled in tighter to him. "I love you," she whispered.

The Doctor's hearts lifted at hearing those three special words that he hadn't heard for so long. "I love you too," he replied, holding her close.

Silence resumed in the room for a few moments before Rose lifted her head. "Doctor?" she said, "Do you want to know something funny?"

"Go on,"

"I remember when I first lost my memory and I was panicking and worrying but one of the first thoughts that crept into my head was that you were very good looking," Rose grinned.

The Doctor laughed. "I admire your taste, Miss. Tyler."

Rose giggled. "It is rather impeccable, isn't it?" She sighed suddenly, looking a bit sad, "Doctor, what's gonna happen now?"

"You are going to go back to bed," he told her, standing up and leading her back over to the bed, "You need more sleep,"

"I know," she said, stifling a yawn, "But I mean, afterwards. What happens then?"

"We'll discuss it in the morning, princess," the Doctor said, "Go on, get some sleep,"

"_Alright_," Rose moaned playfully and closed her eyes, "Night Doctor. Love you forever,"

"Love you forever too," the Doctor replied, stroking her cheek lightly before moving back over to his seat and leaving her to sleep.

* * *

**_Review please. Constructive criticism is gladly received_**


	12. The Morning After

**Memories and the Master**

_**D**__**isclaimer: Nothing you might recognise belongs to me**_

* * *

**Part Twelve; The Morning After**

The Doctor was awoken a couple of hours later by a light tapping at Rose's bedroom door. He quickly stood up, stretching as he did so, before opening the door to see Jackie standing there, a smile on her face and two cups of tea in her hands.

"Morning," he said, gratefully taking one of the mugs and having a sip,

"Mornin'," Jackie responded, trying to peer over his shoulder, "How's Rose?"

"Still asleep at the moment," the Doctor answered, "Had a bit of a disturbed night but we've talked about what happened yesterday,"

"What _did_ happen yesterday?" asked Jackie, "You said her memories have come back but _how?_"

The Doctor scratched his head. "It's a little complicated," he finally said, "I promise I'll explain it to you but..."

"Doctor?"

He was saved from having to continue by a small tired voice from behind him. He instantly spun around to see Rose sitting on the side of the bed.

"Hello," he grinned, taking a seat next to her, "How are you feeling?"

"Alright," she mumbled,

"That's good," he said, tenderly cupping her chin and aiming for a good morning kiss. Instead, his lips met the top of her head as she pressed her face against his chest, sliding her arms around his waist. He frowned; she hadn't let him kiss her on the lips since... well, it felt like forever.

"Hi, Mum," she said, glancing up and spotting her mother who was still standing at the doorway.

The Doctor looked at her, before kissing Rose's head and walking out of the door to allow the mother and daughter to have some privacy. He made for the kitchen where he found Jack nursing a cup of tea.

"Doctor!" he said immediately upon seeing the Time Lord, "How is she? Is she OK? Does she remember everything?"

The Doctor nodded. "She's OK, and she remembers everything."

Jack visibly sighed with relief. "Thank God."

The Doctor nodded. "Jackie's with her at the moment but when she's ready we're going to sort everything out,"

"How'd you mean?" Jack asked,

"Well, we still don't know who did this to her so I want to find that out for starters," the Doctor replied, sinking onto a chair,

"Ah right," Jack said, "Did you ever finish watching those security visuals?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Got about an hour left. So far all we've seen is our drinks standing on the side table we put them on. It's really not that interesting,"

"Doesn't sound it!" Jack laughed.

The Doctor grinned before his smile slid off his face. "Jack, she won't let me kiss her," he said, abruptly,

"Rose?"

He nodded. "I've tried twice now- once just after her memories returned yesterday evening and once just now- but she just turns her head. I don't get it. She told me she still loves me but won't let me kiss her!"

Jack looked thoughtful. "Maybe she's finding it a bit strange at the moment. Just give her some time, alright?"

"Alright," the Doctor nodded, looking downcast.

Both men looked up as the door opened and Jackie appeared in the kitchen, a happy smile playing at her lips. "Jack, she wants you," she announced.

The ex-Time Agent leapt up happily, a big grin on his face. "Be back soon. My lady awaits!" he chuckled, before disappearing out of the kitchen.

Seconds later, the Doctor and Jackie heard his loud whoops and Rose's giggles from her bedroom as the two friends greeted one another again. The Doctor smiled slightly before slouching over the table.

"You alright, sweetheart?" Jackie asked, in concern,

"I'm fine Jackie, thanks," he mumbled,

"You sure? 'Cause you don't look fine,"

"I'm OK," he said, raising his head, "It's nothing to worry about." He stood up. "Can you tell Rose to meet me in the TARDIS when she's ready? Thanks." He nodded at her before swiftly walking to his beautiful ship.

* * *

"I'm so sorry," 

"Rose, stop apologizing. It's alright," Jack said, gazing up at her from where he was lying with his head in her lap,

"But I really am," Rose insisted, running her fingers through his hair, "I just basically ignored you for a month!"

"It's not your fault, honey," Jack reassured her,

"I know, but I'm still s…"

"_Rose_!" Jack cried, "If you say that one more time, I'm gonna have to tickle you to death! You've said it once; not that you had to say it all; and that's the end of it!"

"OK," she said before giggling.

Jack's lips relaxed into an easy grin. "'Sides, I got to bond with Matt anyways,"

"Is he OK?" Rose asked, "'Cause he seemed off at the beginning,"

"He's fine," Jack said,

"What was up with him?"

"You know, I think I'll let Matt tell you that. It's nothing bad or anything but it's his secret to tell,"

"Sure," Rose accepted, "Have you told them yet? About me getting my memories back, I mean,"

"Nope," Jack replied, "We can give them a ring later,"

"Yeah," Rose nodded before lapsing into a companionable silence. She heard footsteps walking briskly down the hall outside her room and then the front door opening and closing. She wondered if it was the Doctor. Rose bit her lip. She really needed to talk to him.

"So, why won't you let the Doctor kiss you?" Jack asked abruptly.

Rose's fingers stilled on his hair. She stared down at Jack who was watching her seriously.

"He… he said that?" she eventually asked.

Jack nodded. "You still love him, don't you?"

"Of course I do!" Rose exclaimed immediately, "It's just…"

"Yeah?" Jack prompted,

"I need to talk to him," she decided, carefully disentangling herself and pulling her shoes on. She was still wearing yesterday's clothes but couldn't be bothered to change,

"He's gone down to the TARDIS," Jackie told her, suddenly appearing in the doorway, "Said to meet him there when you're ready. He looked a bit rough."

Rose nodded. "See you in a bit." She pulled open the front door, breathing in the fresh summer morning air. Despite her rush, she let a smile spread across her face. She could remember everything! Everything out there now made sense to her! Happily, she jogged along the balcony to where the steps were.

"Morning Helen!" she sang out to her neighbour, who was collecting in the milk bottles,

"'ello Rose," Helen replied,

"You alright?" Rose asked, looking at her in concern. Her neighbour looked worried,

"Yeah, we're just a bit anxious. You know our Michael won a runners up prize in that Saxon competition?"

"Yeah?" Rose nodded, remembering that Michael was the nephew twice removed of the sister of the best friend of Helen's son-in-laws secret girlfriend,

"Well, 'e went to that conference yesterday and 'e ain't come back yet. We was gonna have a party for 'im as well as it's such a big deal. Everyone came except 'im!"

"Maybe it went on for a while or something," Rose shrugged, itching to get to the Doctor, "He'll turn up, I wouldn't worry, Helen,"

"Yeah Rose," Helen nodded, "Let's hope so. See you around, yeah?"

"Yeah," Rose nodded and continued on her way, the conversation disappearing out of her mind as she approached the TARDIS.

Taking a small breath, she pushed open the familiar blue door and stepped inside, smiling at the structures and console in the centre of the large room. The floor vibrated with a welcoming hum beneath her feet and the lights flickered.

"Good to see you too, TARDIS," she mumbled, placing her hand on the nearest wall,

"You're turning into me," remarked a voice.

Rose grinned before walking over to the console and sitting down on the edge of the pit. "Is that such a bad thing?"

"Nope," the Doctor grinned up at her, "Need more me's in the world."

Rose laughed. "Can I come down?"

"Sure."

She slipped down into the pit and immediately engulfed him in another hug, burying her face in his chest and inhaling deeply.

"Can I talk to you?" she asked, after a few moments,

"Course you can," he answered, stepping back and looking at her in concern, "What's up?"

Rose sighed and slid down the wall of the pit to sit cross legged on the floor. The Doctor imitated her so he was sitting facing her.

"You know I still love you more than anything or anyone in the universe in the present, future and past, right?" she began, reaching out and taking his hands in both of hers before linking their fingers and idly beginning to play with them, "Even with the whole memory loss thing,"

"Yeah," the Doctor answered, watching her seriously. He wasn't sure what she was trying to say and he was feeling a bit nervous of what it could be. It would break him if she wanted to finish with their relationship.

"Well, I've been thinking and…"

"And…" the Doctor gently prompted, his hearts thudding,

"I'm not sure I'm ready to take things back to the physical level just yet," Rose said in a rush. She stilled her hands and nervously looked at his face.

He gazed back at her, his face blank for a while whilst he thought it over.

"Why do you mean by the 'physical level'?" he eventually asked,

"Um… I guess I mean sex and kissing. Stuff that we started doing after we told each other we loved one another…" Rose trailed off, "I'm sorry, Doctor, I just… I just can't deal with it. It just feels… weird." She bit her lip and stared at him worriedly.

He smiled gently at her. "Take your time, sweetheart," he said, brushing a lock of her hair back from her face, "It's OK. I can't say I'm not disappointed but I've waited a month. I can wait longer. I'd wait forever for you."

Rose felt tears come into her eyes. "Is that OK? I just don't feel like I can go back to doing that right now. It's too soon and I'm still coming to terms with remembering everything but I saw you looked upset when I wouldn't kiss you this morning and yesterday but I just… _can't_!"

"Rose, it's OK. I want you to concentrate on sorting yourself out, alright?" the Doctor said, squeezing her hand, "We'll just stick to hugs and stuff like that for now,"

"Thanks, Doctor," Rose said, leaning forward and giving him a hug, "You're the best,"

"I know" he joked, hugging her back, "Right, if you're ready, I thought we could attempt to watch the rest of those security visuals. It's time we found out who did this to you,"

"Alright," Rose nodded, standing up and climbing out of the pit, "I'll go get the popcorn."

* * *

Jack jogged down the dirty white stairs of Bucknall House. Rose had left about thirty minutes ago and he hoped she'd managed to talk to the Doctor by now. 

He reached the chewing gum splattered concrete that made up the forecourt of the Powell Estate where the TARDIS sat proudly, glinting in the morning sunshine, and pushed open the door of the ship.

"Hey Jack," Rose said, looking up and grinning at him,

"Hi," he replied, closing the door, "What you watching?"

"The security visuals," the Doctor said, from where he was sat next to Rose on the captain's chair, one arm draped casually around her shoulders, "It's very exciting. So far we've seen a couple, who we _swear_ we saw arriving with other people, having a sneaky kiss and grope in the corner next to our drinks and also a wizened old Groporian carefully examining our drinks but not touching them,"

"It was Sleepy!" Rose giggled,

"Who?" Jack asked, confused.

The Doctor rolled his eyes playfully. "Rose thinks the Groporians are similar to the dwarves in _Snow White_ and when we were at the party, we saw one fast asleep in an armchair and she decided that was Sleepy."

Jack laughed whilst Rose giggled and the Doctor shook his head, grinning.

"How long is there left to watch?" Rose asked, once she'd controlled herself,

"About half an hour before we came back. Whatever happened has to happen soon," the Doctor said, budging up so Jack could sit down,

"It better be soon," Rose muttered, "I'm bored!"

They returned their attention to the visual and watched it with growing impatience as nothing happened.

"They're very nice glasses," Jack commented, about twenty minutes later,

"Oh, I agree," the Doctor said, "The glasswork is just _exquisite_!"

Rose laughed before suddenly taking in a breath. Finally, something was happening.

The three time-travellers watched with bated breath as a figure sauntered up to where their glasses were and quickly dropped something into one of the glasses, which began to fizz slightly before stilling again. The figure turned around to walk away and the three viewers gasped.

"That's…"

Jack's choked gasp was suddenly interrupted by a hammering at the doorway.

Rose looked up at the Doctor, an eyebrow raised.

"Your Mum's probably called your friends with the news," he said, with a distracted grin.

She smiled back and went to answer it.

"Rose Tyler?"

"Yeah?" she nodded, staring curiously at the tall woman with curly hair, dressed in a smart suit, who was standing in front of her flashing a small ID card,

"Yvonne Hartman, Torchwood. You're coming with us."

* * *

_**Review please. Constructive criticism is gladly received**_


	13. The Bad Apple

**Memories and the Master**

_**Hoaray, the update system is FINALLY working! What's up with this site recently? Thanks for all the **__**reviews; sorry if I gave any of you heart trouble with the cliff-hanger, and hope you enjoy this part. **_

_**D**__**isclaimer: Nothing you might recognise belongs to me**_

* * *

**Part Thirteen: The Bad Apple**

_Previously in Sweet Dreams…_

"_Rose Tyler?"_

"_Yeah?" she nodded, staring curiously at the tall woman with curly hair, dressed in a smart suit, who was standing in front of her flashing a small ID card,_

"_Yvonne Hartman, Torchwood. You're coming with us."_

* * *

Rose screamed as two armed guards began to pull her out of her home. 

"Leave her alone!"

Suddenly, the Doctor was there, along with Jack. The Doctor gently pulled Rose out of the guards grip before protectively curling an arm around her.

"Who are you?" he demanded,

"Yvonne Hartman," Yvonne repeated, "Leader of Torchwood One,"

"Leader of where?" Jack snarled,

"Torchwood One," Yvonne replied simply, "We've had orders to bring Rose Tyler in,"

"By who?" the Doctor asked, "You just said you were the leader!"

"Ah, but I'm not the boss," Yvonne laughed, an expression on her face that suggested that she would very much _like_ to be, "So, if you'll excuse us…" She gestured towards Rose and the two guards stepped forward.

"You're not taking her anywhere," growled the Doctor feeling Rose clutch onto him tightly. She was still feeling insecure after her memory loss. He squeezed her gently.

"We have orders. Sorry," Yvonne said smoothly.

The guards took hold of Rose again and began to drag her away. She struggled whilst the Doctor yelled, "I said, you're not taking her anywhere! If you think there's a higher alien authority, then you're wasting your time. It stops with me!" Meanwhile, Jack sprang forward, furious at the way they were treating his best friend, and threw a punch at one of the guards restraining Rose.

All of a sudden, a whole troop of guards appeared out of a plain white van that none of the time travellers had noticed. Three of them immediately pinned Jack down onto the ground, whilst another four surrounded the Doctor, watching him carefully.

"Ah, so the tales are true. The Doctor, swanning around, assuming alien authority over everybody else," Yvonne sneered, "Well, it's not going to work this time! Boys, take Miss. Tyler to the van, and our feisty friend here can come too. Striking Torchwood officials is strictly _not _permitted. I think a couple of hours in solitary confinement will help that sink in. And as for you, Doctor, you're coming along too. Torchwood has wanted you for a _long_ time,"

"Why?" the Doctor asked sharply, as he was bundled along with Rose and Jack into the white van, "How do you even know about me?"

"Oh, we know everything about you," Yvonne laughed as the van door slammed shut, leaving the three time travellers in darkness.

* * *

Rose scowled at Yvonne who was sitting on the opposite side of the table. There were various guards, standing still and silent, around the room as the two females glared at one another. 

"I ask you again, Miss. Tyler, will you confirm that you are Rose Tyler of 48 Bucknall House, the Powell Estate?"

Rose said nothing, folding her arms defiantly.

"Rose, your silence is simply incriminating you…" Yvonne said,

"I think you'll find that staying silent can only be incriminating in the courts," Rose said, suddenly remembering a random fact from her Law AS course which she hoped was right,

"Torchwood is outside the government," Yvonne replied, "We can make up our own rules,"

"I'm still not sayin' anything," Rose said, "I ain't sayin' nothin' 'til you bring the Doctor here!"

Yvonne rolled her eyes. "He's not going to be able to help you,"

"I don't care," Rose responded fiercely, "It's my right to have someone with me an' I want the Doctor _right now_,"

"You're simply wasting time,"

"_The Doctor_," Rose ground out,

"Oh fine!" Yvonne snapped, her patience vanishing, "You, Lee, was it? Bring the Doctor here,"

"Yes ma'am," nodded one of the guards, quickly disappearing out of the room.

Rose smiled coldly, her heart thumping painfully all the time.

* * *

The Doctor sighed and paced around the room that he'd been taken to immediately after their arrival at Torchwood. No matter how much he'd argued, Rose had been dragged away down one corridor and Jack down another whilst he was taken to this room. A lone guard stood outside and the Doctor had been assured that if he wanted anything, then the guard might take him there. He'd instantly demanded to be taken to see Rose but he hadn't been allowed, much to his fury. He hoped she was alright. In the van, she'd seemed terrified. 

Suddenly, there came a sharp knock at the door and a guard stuck his head in.

"Miss. Hartman has summoned you," he said, gesturing for the Doctor to come out.

He did so, wondering what Yvonne wanted, and followed the guard down several corridors, that were completely white and sterile-like, until they reached a doorway and walked in. Inside, the Doctor saw Rose and Yvonne sitting either side of a rectangular wooden table that had a sort of recorder on it, some papers and some stationery. Next to Rose, there was an empty seat which he immediately took, smiling reassuringly at Rose. She was slightly pale and withdrawn but managed a small smile back at him, reaching out and grasping his hand. From her vice-like grip, the Doctor could tell that despite her calm outer appearance, Rose was petrified. He slowly began to stroke the back of her hand with his thumb and focused his attention on Yvonne.

"What do you want?" he asked,

"Yesterday evening, our equipment detected a disturbance in South-East London," Yvonne began, eyeing their clasped hands, "We pinpointed the disturbance and, using the nearby security cameras, we watched with amazement as Miss. Tyler here managed to defeat an entire army of Daleks,"

"How do you know what Daleks are?" the Doctor demanded, squeezing Rose's hand as she gasped slightly,

"Torchwood business, Doctor," Yvonne smiled infuriatingly, "Need to know."

The Doctor sighed in annoyance. "So, Miss. Hartman, why exactly _is_ Torchwood? You've said it's 'beyond the government' but... what is it?"

"The Torchwood Institute was created in 1879 by Her Majesty, Queen Victoria with the express intention of keeping Britain great and fighting the alien horde," Yvonne said proudly,

"1879… Queen Victoria?" the Doctor said, scratching his head and exchanging a glance with Rose, "That was when we…"

"Fought the werewolf, yes," Yvonne said, "You're actually named in the Torchwood Charter of 1879 as an enemy of the crown,"

"Ah!" the Doctor said, realisation dawning, "So, _that's_ why you've brought us in!"

"Yes and no," replied Yvonne,

"But we met Queen Victoria _years_ ago," Rose piped up, "Why haven't we heard of you before?"

The Doctor turned to look at her, a proud smile on his face for her realising something before he did. She was getting good at that.

"Torchwood is a secret organisation," Yvonne said primly, "Plus, we've never really been able to get to you…"

The Doctor held in a smug smile as she trailed off.

"But we have you now," she finished grandly, "Thanks to Miss. Tyler's little stunt yesterday, we've been able to get the authority to bring you in,"

"From who?" the Doctor asked, immediately,

"Now, as I was saying before," Yvonne said, ignoring his question, "We saw Miss. Tyler defeat the Daleks. We have a recording of it here just to jog your memories a bit." She pressed a button on a remote control and instantly a screen on the wall to their left began to show what the Doctor had witnessed yesterday. He gripped Rose's hand even tighter as she gasped loudly as she watched herself glow gold and destroy the Daleks with a wave of her hand or so it seemed. She turned to look at him, tears in her eyes, as the Rose on the screen sank to her knees.

"Unfortunately the recording doesn't have audio," Yvonne said, "But we have lip readers working on it as we speak, so soon we'll be able to discover just what was said,"

"Yes, whatever," the Doctor muttered, not really paying attention. Instead, he was crouching next to Rose who now had tears steadily falling down her cheeks. "Sweetheart?" he whispered, softly,

"It's just… just seeing it happen," she whispered, trembling slightly, "It hadn't really sunk in,"

"It's OK," he replied, cradling her to his chest before turning to Yvonne, "This is interview is to be postponed,"

"You can't do that!" she exclaimed,

"I can and I am," the Doctor retorted angrily, "Rose is in no fit state to be answering any questions so we are going to postpone it until further notice." His tone indicated that there would be no further argument.

"Fine," Yvonne muttered, "You can't leave the building though,"

"Fine, just take us somewhere _private_," the Doctor emphasised.

Yvonne nodded to two of the guards who led the Doctor and Rose out of the room and back to where the Doctor had originally come from. It was a very basic room with a small window, a chair, a single bed and a room that the Doctor assumed led to a bathroom. He nodded to the guards before turning to Rose and taking her into a bear hug, rocking her gently as she shook.

"Doctor, what's gonna happen?" she whispered, "What do they want with me?"

"I don't know," he replied, honestly, "Something to do with Bad Wolf by the looks of it,"

"They're not gonna lock me away forever, are they?" Rose asked, her voice quaking, "Oh my God, what if they try to dissect me!" Her sobs became harsh sounding, driving a dagger straight through each of the Doctor's hearts. "I don't want them to dissect me!"

"They won't, Rose," the Doctor told her,

"But we don't know what they're capable of!" she cried, sobs wracking her body so vast was her fear,

"Rose," the Doctor said, stepping back and cupping her cheeks, "Look at me, sweetheart. _Look at me_."

He waited until she'd raised her gaze, her brown eyes swimming with tears.

"I won't let them do anything to you, do you hear me?" he said firmly, "_I won't let them_."

Rose nodded, needing to believe him, to trust him, for her own sanity. She fell back into his arms, taking deep breaths and trying to calm herself down. Crying wouldn't help anyone.

The Doctor stroked her back, glad to hear her calming down. He needed her to be strong, for herself and for him as well. He knew how scared she must be feeling. He didn't think she'd realised yet but he was in as much danger from Torchwood as she was. After all, he was fully alien and she was… well, he wasn't entirely sure what she was. But he needed to keep his own worries quiet and concentrate on his angel. He'd rather worry about her than himself any day.

After a few minutes, the Doctor took Rose's hand and led her over to the bed where she lay down, resting her hot forehead on the cool pillow. She felt the Doctor squeeze onto the narrow bed and spoon up behind her, his arms wrapping around her waist. She knew what she'd told him before about their relationship but found she didn't mind this. After all, they had done it quite a lot before they'd become a couple, after bad dreams and emotional days. Plus, she needed the comfort that being wrapped in his arms gave her right now.

"Doctor?" she asked, shuffling closer to him, "If… _when_ we get out of here, can we leave in the TARDIS and go somewhere else in the universe? Please? I don't like this planet anymore,"

"But what about your mother and friends?" he asked, his mouth next to her ear sending delicious tingles down her spine,

"I dunno," Rose said, turning over to face him, "I'm kind of scared of how they're gonna react. I mean, it's like they've known a whole other person for the past month and I'm afraid it's ruined our friendship,"

"It won't have," the Doctor replied seriously, "They still remained your friends after finding out about me and our life didn't they?"

"I suppose so," Rose said, with a sigh,

"I know so," the Doctor stated, his thumb gently wiping away the last of her tears from her face, "Your friends will always stick by you, Rose Tyler."

Rose smiled at him, knowing he was talking about himself and Jack as well as Matt, Lauren and Kirsty. "I really love you," she whispered, carefully leaning up on one elbow and kissing his cheek,

"And I really love you," he replied, imitating her action.

The pair laid in contented silence for a few moments, each happy to be with one another despite the outside threats still facing them. Suddenly, Rose jerked up,

"Doctor, where's Jack?"

* * *

Jack knew without looking that this cell he had been pushed into was seven and a half paces by nine and a quarter, simply by the fact he had walked around it so often. 

He was _bored_ and by bored, he meant _really_ bored! He'd been in this plain white cell for _hours_ now and there wasn't even a guard outside to poke fun at. Jack was proud that they trusted him enough to leave him alone but it was getting seriously dull down here.

Suddenly, he heard hurried footsteps coming down the corridor. He stood up from the hard bed, hoping it was someone to reunite him with the Doctor and Rose (he wondered how they were) and leant against the wall, trying to appear nonchalant.

A tall, thin young man, dressed in an impeccable grey suit, came into view. He looked to be in his twenties and was joined by a black woman of a similar age with short cropped black hair. They were holding hands and were playfully nudging each other as they walked. When they reached the end of the corridor where Jack's cell was, the woman gently pushed the young man up against the wall and started kissing him, her hands roaming all over his body. The man kissed back carefully but kept his hands on her hips all the while.

"Oh, come on," the woman moaned, taking his hands and pushing them further down her body, "It's alright, Yan…"

"Hey," Jack greeted cheerfully, not particularly wanting to break up the free show in front of him but needing to get their attention. They turned around immediately, with shocked faces.

"Sorry!" the young man said, flustered, "They don't usually bring people down here,"

"So, you turned it into your make-out spot?" Jack asked, with a grin.

The young man blushed violently while his girlfriend stood with her hands on her hips, waiting impatiently.

"What's your name?" Jack said, liking the look of this shy man, "You're Welsh right? Can tell from the accent,"

"My name is Ianto Jones," he replied, straightening his tie, "And, yes, I'm from Cardiff but Torchwood Three wouldn't take me in. They're very exclusive. This, here, is Lisa, my girlfriend."

Jack quickly inclined his head before going back to questioning Ianto again. "There's more than one Torchwood?"

"Oh yes," Ianto replied, "This is Torchwood One, run by Miss. Hartman. Torchwood Two is an office in Glasgow, run by a very strange man. Torchwood Four is apparently missing but people are looking for it and we'll find it one day and then there's Torchwood Three, which is based in Cardiff and run by a woman called Suzie Costello. It's very exclusive and only has a few members unlike this institute,"

"Right…" Jack said, slowly,

"Ianto," Lisa said, a sharp edge to her voice, "Should you really be telling this to a complete stranger?"

"Oh," Ianto said, moving backwards a bit, "I suppose you're right, Lisa. We'd better be going. Back to our desks,"

"Wait!" Jack said as they started to move back up the corridor.

Ianto instantly turned whilst Lisa sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Let me out of here," Jack pleaded, "I need to find my friends,"

"I can't," Ianto shook his head, "I'll be fired and have my memories wiped using Retcon. It's standard Torchwood procedure,"

"_What_?" Jack winced, the mention of Retcon touching a raw nerve, "They wipe your memories if you want to leave?"

Ianto nodded, feeling almost afraid of this handsome stranger in the cell.

"That's disgusting," Jack said, "How can you work here?"

Ianto shrugged. "I wanted to have first hand experience with aliens,"

"And have you?"

"No," Ianto said sadly, "I just do paperwork,"

"Ianto!" Lisa hissed, "Come on!"

The young Welshman turned to look at her before glancing back at Jack.

"Let me out, Ianto," Jack whispered, "I won't let on who was it. Please,"

"I _can't_," Ianto said, obviously torn,

"Please?"

"Ianto!" Lisa called again, "Don't you dare let him out! It's against the rules!"

Ianto hesitated, moving his head from his girlfriend to Jack.

"_Ianto_!" Lisa shouted, "Right, that's it. I'm not taking any part in this!" She turned away and stormed back up the corridor, watched mournfully by her boyfriend.

"Please, Ianto," Jack implored, sending a sexy smile in the Welshman's direction, "Please, for me?"

Ianto bit his lip, his knees going slightly weak from Jack's smile. "Alright," he said quietly, raising his hand to the keypad next to the locked door of the cell and punching in the code, "Just don't tell anyone it was me,"

"I won't," Jack promised, pushing open the door, "I'm Jack, by the way. Not sure I ever introduced myself!"

"Hi," Ianto smiled nervously, "I'd better…"

"Do you know where my friends are?" Jack asked, "The Doctor and Rose, they're called,"

"Miss. Hartman has them I think," Ianto replied, starting to edge back up the corridor, "I don't know much as it's all pretty secret,"

"OK," Jack said, thoughtfully, "Say, Ianto, do you know who the boss of Torchwood is? You said Miss. Hartman runs this institute but who owns it?" This had been puzzling Jack ever since Yvonne had told them that she wasn't the overall boss.

"Oh, that's easy," Ianto said, a small smile breaking onto his face, "It's Mr. Saxon!"

Jack's mouth fell open slightly. Suddenly a lot of things made sense.

* * *

_**Review please. Constructive criticism is gladly received**_


	14. Answers & Yet More Questions

**Memories and the Master**

_**Blimey! This chapter gave me grief! But it's done now. I'm gonna attempt to get another chapter written this Bank Holiday weekend as I'm aiming to complete this story by study leave which begins in 2 weeks. We'll see if I manage. Thanks for the reviews and hope you enjoy!**_

_**D**__**isclaimer: Nothing you might recognise belongs to me**_

* * *

**Part Fourteen: Answers & Yet More Questions**

The room was silent, save for the slow, even breathing of its two participants. Rose lay asleep in the Doctor's arms; who was gazing at her, watching her sleep and thinking about how much he loved her. Her eyes were flickering under her closed eyelids, meaning that she was in REM sleep. The Doctor hoped that she was having sweet dreams. Carefully, he moved his head and placed a couple of chaste kisses on her neck. Rose smiled in her sleep and cuddled in tighter to his body, causing the Doctor to smile as well.

Knowing that she wouldn't wake naturally for a while, the Doctor lay his head on the pillow next to hers and began to think deeply. So much had happened in the past few hours. Some of it now made the past month's events make slightly more sense but it raised many more questions that the Doctor was anxious to know the answers to. This was the first time that he could really concentrate and think everything over. He now knew who had spiked Rose's drink back at Hugo's party. It hadn't been any of the Groporians as he had initially expected but rather someone whom he ought to have been surprised at it being, but found that actually he wasn't. The person's identity opened up a whole new crate of bananas. Who was he really and what did he want? How was it possible for him to be on Arcodia in the year two-point-nine-slash-apple-slash-nineteen and also be in London, Earth 2011? Was he a Time-Agent or did he possess some sort of other time machine? Some many questions and so few answers.

All of a sudden, a sharp pain flashed through the Doctor's head causing him to jump violently and clap his hand to his forehead. His movement had roused Rose, who sleepily opened her eyes to see him biting his lip and screwing his face up with the pain.

"What's wrong?" she immediately asked, sitting up and putting her hand over his,

"I don't know," he replied, taking several deep breaths as the pain ebbed away, "My head just suddenly really hurt and I'm not entirely sure why."

Rose prised his hand away and inspected his temple. "There's nothing wrong on the outside," she reported, pressing a gentle kiss to it before dropping back down to his eye level and looking worriedly into his eyes, "Has it ever happened before?"

The Doctor frowned and shook his head. "Nothing like that before. I've felt nothing there since before the War."

Rose chewed worriedly on her bottom lip. "Why not?"

The Doctor looked steadily at her, his eyes filled with confusion, worry and a small amount of fear. "Because that's where my mental connection with other Time Lords is."

* * *

Ianto stared at Jack, the handsome stranger that he'd just let out of Torchwood's solitary confinement cell with hardly any argument. There was something mysterious about this man. 

"Is that significant?" he questioned of the fact that Jack had looked slightly shocked when he told him that Mr. Saxon owned Torchwood,

"Just a bit," Jack nodded, "Look Ianto, I need to find my friends quickly. Can you take me to them or at least give me directions?"

Ianto glanced around nervously. "The buildings going to be on red alert as soon as they find out that you're out of your cell."

Right on cue a loud klaxon began to wail, making both men jump.

"Ianto, please help me," Jack said, staring the younger man intently in the eye, "It could be a matter of life and death."

Ianto swallowed. "Why's it so important?" he asked, "Mr. Saxon is a _good_ man! The best Prime Minister this country has ever had!"

Jack cocked an eyebrow. Something about what Ianto had just said sounded rehearsed…

"It's kinda sensitive," he said, not really wanting to reveal anything, "I just _need_ to find the Doctor and Rose as soon as possible!"

He watched as the younger man bit his lip before slowly nodding. "Alright, I'll take you to the interview room. We're going to have to be careful as there're security cameras all over the place,"

"Ah well, that's easily sorted," Jack nodded, tapping at his wrist com, "There, all security cameras are deactivated."

Ianto shook his head, not wanting to think about the further problems that that could cause. "Come on," he said, walking up the corridor, "Let's go."

Jack nodded and followed him down the corridor. At the end, he pressed his back to the wall and checked around the corner with a mirror pinched from Rose several months ago. "All clear," he noted, before turning the corner and continuing walking silently. He could hear Ianto's harsh breathing next to him and could appreciate the reason why. The shy Welshman was putting a lot on the line for him right now. At the very least, he could loose his job and have his memories removed. Jack didn't know what the Torchwood Institute was capable of and wasn't keen to find out either.

They came to the end of the current corridor and stopped again to check for clearance. He peered into the small mirror in his hand and blanched.

Coming straight towards them, with no way for them to escape, was Lisa.

* * *

"But… but why would it hurt?" Rose stuttered, completely winded by the Doctor's admission, "There aren't…" She lowered her voice slightly, mindful of the Doctor's feelings on this topic, "There aren't any other Time Lords." 

"I know," the Doctor shrugged, "It makes no sense. It's been silent there ever since the War. It's how I know I'm the only one left!"

Rose gripped his hand gently. "What are we gonna do?"

The Doctor smiled at her use of 'we'. That was the old Doctor and Rose (and Jack by all accounts) team spirit. They always tackled things together. "See if it happens again, I suppose," he said, rubbing the back of his neck agitatedly, "Maybe it was just a chemical imbalance in my brain. A brain as brilliant as mine has to have off-seconds, sometimes!"

Rose grinned, the worry on her face disappearing which had been the Doctor's intention. "You're gonna have to watch that head of yours," she muttered affectionately, "It's getting too big,"

"Ah, I need a big head to store my impressive brain!" the Doctor teased.

Rose smiled and put her arms around his neck. "It's very impressive," she whispered into his ear, "An' I don't mean your brain."

The Doctor chuckled once he'd processed what she meant. "I'm glad you find it impressive," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her cheek, "And as soon as…"

Suddenly, he was interrupted by the loud wail of a klaxon.

"What's that?" Rose asked, pressing an ear against his chest in an effort to drown out the noise,

"Alarm of some sort," the Doctor assumed, frowning slightly, "C'mon princess. Let's go see what's happening,"

"Why'd you call me that?" Rose asked, holding onto one of his hands as he pulled her upright, "I mean, princess?"

"It's what you are, isn't it?" he replied, "My little princess?"

Rose smiled, her heart swooping.

"Don't you like it?"

"Yes," she assured him, "I love all the pet names you call me. It's just 'princess' is a new one and I was wondering if there was any particular reason,"

"Nah," the Doctor shook his head, "Just felt like calling you that. I've called you 'angel' for years, 'sweetheart' quite a lot… Oooh and 'Rose'! I call you that sometimes too!"

Rose laughed as they reached the door. "Just do me a favour, alright? Don't _ever_ call me 'darling'. That sounds so old!"

"Alright, never call Rose 'darling' if I want to spend more than two seconds in each of my remaining regenerations," the Doctor grinned, before pulling open the door and addressing the guard stationed outside, "What's going on?"

"Security breach," the guard said, looking anxiously around. He was a young, fresh faced lad who had only very recently been employed by Torchwood. He put his hand to his earpiece and listened intently. "Yes, ma'am," he said, "I'll bring them right away." He looked back at the Doctor and Rose. "Miss. Hartman wants me to bring you back to the interview room,"

"Right-o!" the Doctor grinned, before looking at Rose with an agonized expression, "Add that one to the list. Words that I will never say again!"

Rose looked amused while the young guard just looked confused.

* * *

Jack and Ianto held their breath as Lisa appeared around the corner, not looking surprised to see them there. 

"I can't believe you let him out, Ianto!" she said, glancing from Jack to her boyfriend and back again,

"I had to!" Ianto defended, "He needs our help!"

"He told you that, did he?" Lisa shot back, "He was in solitary confinement for a reason, Ianto! I'm going to have to call security. You better get out of here while you still can!"

"No, Lisa!" Ianto cried out, "Please don't!"

"I've got to," Lisa said softly, "It's Torchwood protocol, you know that. If a prisoner has escaped and we see them, we activate the security system." She cupped her boyfriend's cheek tenderly, staring at his distressed features and wondering why helping this man escape meant so much to him. They'd never met before today and usually Ianto took quite a while to warm up to people. It was why they had been dating for over five years but marriage had never been mentioned, let alone talked about even though both wanted to get married.

"Can't… can't you just pretend you haven't seen us?" Ianto begged, looking hopefully at her, "Jack isn't going to do anything or hurt anyone. All he wants is to find his friends and get out of here, right Jack?"

Jack nodded, staying silent and hoping that Lisa would trust and listen to her boyfriend. He resisted the urge to check his watch to see how much time has passed since he last saw the Doctor and Rose.

Lisa stared at him before turning back to Ianto. "Yan…" she breathed, using the shortened version of his name,

"Please Lisa," he whispered, taking her hands, "Please do this for me. Please?"

Lisa sighed before squeezing his hands. "Alright but get him out of here quickly. I'll go and head off the others,"

"Thank you," Ianto said quietly, impulsively bending forward and kissing her, "I love you,"

"Love you too," Lisa replied, "Go on and get out of here."

Ianto quickly jogged off, Jack following him. He threw a grateful nod at Lisa as he passed, which she returned with a smile before turning around and walking in the opposite direction.

* * *

"Delightful to see you again, Miss. Hartman," the Doctor greeted Yvonne sarcastically as he and Rose were whisked back into the interview room they had previously departed about an hour and a half earlier, 

"You too, Doctor, Miss. Tyler," Yvonne nodded, watching the couple as they pushed the two chairs together and sat down holding tightly onto one another's hands, "Your accomplice, Mr. Harkness appears to have escaped so as we are on red alert at the moment, I thought we could continue the interview while my employees find him,"

"Go Jack!" Rose cheered, exchanging a smug grin with the Doctor, which Yvonne ignored, "Trust him!"

"As I was saying, we will find him and my employees are instructed to bring him directly here to be dealt with," Yvonne continued, an icy tone in her voice.

The smiles on the Doctor and Rose's faces slipped a little at her words.

"What do you mean by that?" the Doctor asked,

"Nobody messes around with Torchwood," Yvonne replied darkly.

Rose shivered slightly. She was really beginning to strongly dislike this woman and Rose rarely disliked somebody.

"Let's get on with this interview," the leader of Torchwood said with a hint of impatience in her voice as if she'd rather she was somewhere else,

"Wait, why _do_ you want to interview Rose anyway?" the Doctor asked, curious of this fact,

"To find out how she destroyed the Daleks," Yvonne replied, "And we will use whatever means necessary to do it. And then, if it is useful, we will keep it, even if it means detaining Miss. Tyler. Torchwood has a motto: if it's alien, it's ours." She sat back as both the Doctor and Rose began shouting at her,

"You are _not_ going to do anything to Rose!" the Doctor yelled, his dark eyes flashing, "And you are most certainly not going to detain her!"

"You can't lock me away!" Rose shrieked, the small knot of fear in her heart suddenly expanding to epic proportions, "It's against the law! I've not done anything wrong!" She clung tightly to the Doctor's hand, needing his reassurance. Sometimes she despised how much she depended on him but she loved him too much not to.

"Torchwood will do what it wants. As I have said before, we are outside the government," Yvonne said, in a bored tone. She turned her head and there came a knock at the door. "Come in!"

A woman with red hair, dressed in a guard uniform entered the room, her eyes wide and her face shining. "Miss. Hartman," she stammered, "He's arrived!"

Yvonne's face lit up. "Bring him immediately here, please… Lara, was it?"

Lara nodded enthusiastically, disappearing back out of the door before reappearing almost immediately, walking backwards with a reverent look on her face.

"No need to fetch me," said a deep male voice, "I'm already here!"

The Doctor and Rose stopped shouting and watched everyone in the room rise to their feet, excitement plain in their faces, as a familiar figure entered the room, staring straight at them.

Rose squeezed the Doctor's hand as she stared into the face of the man who had drugged her and made her lose all of her memories of the love of her life for an entire month.

It was Mr. Saxon.

* * *

**_Um... surprise, anyone?_**

_**Review please. Constructive criticism is gladly received**_


	15. Who is Mr Saxon?

**Memories and the Master**

_**David Tennant loves to confuse us, right? (NB**__**: Potential future spoilers ahead for series 3**__**). So far he's told us a) the Doctor doesn't get married but he doesn't NOT not get married… b) the Face of Boe isn't lying but the Doctor isn't wrong either and c) 'Mr. Saxon' isn't exactly a Time Lord… I swear DT is sadistic. Anyway, the point of this little ramble (particularly c)) is to reinforce the idea that:**_

_**THIS STORY DOES NOT FOLLOW CANON AFTER S2**__** EP11 (FEAR HER)!**_

_**Is that clear? Good! Onwards with the story!**_

_**D**__**isclaimer: Nothing you might recognise belongs to me**_

* * *

**Part Fifteen: Who is Mr. Saxon?**

"What was all the noise about?" Mr. Saxon asked, once he was fully inside the room,

"Oh, our prisoners were just disagreeing with Torchwood's policy," Yvonne said, breathlessly, "Mr. Saxon, won't you have my chair?"

"I'm quite alright standing, thank you Yvonne," Mr. Saxon said, calmly, making the woman flush. "Miss. Tyler," Mr. Saxon continued, staring at Rose, "How nice to see you again. Two days earlier than expected but still… And Doctor…"

The Doctor inclined his head shortly. He didn't trust him one bit, especially after what he did to Rose. He carefully stepped forward and slightly in front of her, attempting to protect her from this dangerous man in front of them.

"How sweet," Mr. Saxon noted,

"Who are you?" the Doctor demanded.

There was a gasp from the watching Torchwood officials. "You do not speak to Mr. Saxon like that!" Yvonne said, scandalised, "You treat him with the utmost respect. Mr. Saxon is a _good_ man! The best Prime Minister this country has ever had!"

"Thank you, Yvonne," Mr. Saxon said, looking faintly amused, "You know who I am, Doctor."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes and shook his head as the Prime Minister turned around. "Clear the room," he ordered, "I want complete privacy for my meeting with our two guests,"

"Oh, but…" Yvonne objected, who had been dearly looking forward to seeing the Doctor and Rose taken down a peg or two by her beloved Mr. Saxon, "Your _safety_, sir!"

"I shall be fine," he said, "You may leave a guard outside if you so desire but I want this room completely empty _now_!"

There was a scramble as everyone rushed to obey and squeezed through the door. Yvonne was last and she looked back at the Doctor and Rose, a malevolent look on her face before she disappeared from view as the door closed.

"Now," Mr. Saxon said, folding his arms and making the sleeves of his expensive looking suit crease, "Let's get on with things, shall we?"

* * *

Ianto and Jack had been carefully dodging down the corridors of Torchwood in order to reach the interview room where the Doctor and Rose were. Lisa had obviously done her job quickly and correctly as their path was reasonably clear. They only had to wait for the occasional office official to pass by and they didn't really matter as much since they had no idea what Jack looked like, especially now. Ianto had managed to stop by at a laundry room and grab a spare guard uniform. Jack had hurriedly put it on, drawing the cap low over his face so he wasn't as easily recognisable. 

Suddenly, Ianto came to an abrupt stop and Jack slammed into the back of him. His whispered apologies (although really he was thrilled) were cut off as the younger man raised a finger for silence and gestured around the corner which they had about to have gone around. Jack peered around it and his jaw dropped slightly.

"It's Mr. Saxon!" Ianto whispered, in obvious excitement, "I can't believe he's only a couple of metres away from me! Wait 'til Lisa hears about _this!_"

Jack nodded grimly, not being able to understand why everybody got so excited over the Prime Minister. He had yet to meet one person, other than the Doctor and Rose, who didn't fawn over Mr. Saxon. Even Jackie adored him to some extent. It was extremely odd. When he was a Time Agent, Jack had visited many different times and he had _never_ come across a time or place where _all_ of the subjects loved their leader quite so reverently. There was always a group who hated them for their policies or ways.

Ianto's sudden intake of breath interrupted his thoughts and he looked around the corner again to see about a dozen people swarming out of the room that Mr. Saxon had just gone into. Most of them were guards but right at the end came Yvonne Hartman, looking very mutinous.

"You, Lara, stay here and keep guard. I want reports _immediately_ of anything happens. The rest of you wait in Guard Room Three. Do not stand down as if anything happens, you are to be first on the scene,"

"Yes, ma'am," nodded the guards and trailed away into a room a few doors up the corridor. Only a female guard with red hair stayed by the door, her gun firmly clasped in her hand and her face serious. Yvonne nodded at her before marching down the corridor, her head held high. Although Jack wasn't sure what had happened, he could tell her pride was wounded. He grinned. She deserved it.

"That room is the Interview Room where your friends are being held," Ianto whispered, "They must be in a one on one with Mr. Saxon!"

"So, we can't go in," Jack mused, "Ianto, is there anyway that we can listen in to what's going on in there without standing outside the door?"

Ianto chewed his lip. "Yes!" he said, suddenly, "I can tap into the security camera in the room using my computer. Come on, I'll take you there now!"

He turned around and moved back up the corridor before jogging up some stairs and down another corridor. He stopped outside a large glass door.

"We need to get everyone out," Ianto whispered, staring in at the rows of his collegues at computers in the office,

"I got it," Jack said, calmly pushing open the door and strolling inside, "Attention everybody," he shouted, "Everyone needs to assemble outside the building. We have a madman on the loose in the building and for everybody's own safety, you need to get out. Orders from above, I'm sorry," he grimaced as the officials began to groan and mumble before standing up and trailing past him.

Ianto stood behind Jack, holding his breath. As Jack was dressed in a guard uniform, no-one seemed to know that he was a fake. Suddenly his eyes widened as Lisa came along, peering curiously at Jack. She raised her eyebrows and stood next to Ianto, not saying a word until all of their collegues had left the room.

"_What_ are you doing?" she demanded flatly, "There's no madman loose in the building. He's standing right in front of us!"

Jack flashed her a grin as he bolted the door from the inside and pulled the blinds down. "Nice to see you too, Lisa. C'mon, Ianto. Let's hack into this security camera,"

"But they're all off," Lisa said, following them over to her boyfriend's desk, "Power failure or something. The electricians are going crazy,"

"I forgot," Jack said, tapping his wrist com, "There, all back online."

Lisa's eyes widened. "_How_ did you do that? What is that?"

"Wrist com," Jack said, perching on the edge of the desk and showing it to her, "It's a standard gadget where I'm from. All Time Agents are allocated one,"

"All whats?" asked Ianto, tapping his password into the computer,

"Time Agents. That's what I was before they stabbed me in the back." Jack's face momentarily lost its cheerful look as he remembered his past. He shook his head. "Never mind. Now tell me, who exactly _is_ Mr. Saxon? I mean, where did he come from?"

Ianto and Lisa looked at one another. Who _was_ this guy?

"It's kind of complicated," Ianto started, "After Harriet Jones was given a vote of no confidence in early January 2007, there was a campaign for the next Prime Minister but one way or another, things were held up and we didn't get a new Prime Minister until June 2008."

Jack nodded. That was when he had been reunited with the Doctor and Rose. But where did Mr. Saxon come into it? He certainly wasn't in power when Rose was doing her A-Levels. That was some other guy.

"He was alright but a bit old," Lisa continued, "And when he suddenly died in about September 2009, the deputy Prime Minister took over until another election could be sorted out. That deputy Prime Minister was Mr. Saxon." She smiled, her whole face glowing. "He ran the country so well that people called for him to stand as a candidate for the next Prime Minister. He accepted, luckily for us. I still remember watching him on TV when he said he would run for Prime Minister. He looked directly into the camera and it was like he was looking into your soul…" She sighed suddenly. "Of course, he won with ninety nine per cent of the votes. It was a new record and Britain's on her way to a Golden Age, thanks to Mr. Saxon!"

Jack frowned. Something about that didn't add up…

"I'm in!" Ianto suddenly cried, causing both Jack and Lisa to rush for the computer screen. On it was the Doctor and Rose facing Mr. Saxon having an argument about something. Jack's heart dropped as he saw the expression on the Doctor's face. It was something he rarely saw.

"Does this thing have volume?" he asked.

Ianto nodded and turned it on, letting the conversation of Jack's best friends and Mr. Saxon wash over them.

* * *

The Doctor imitated Mr. Saxon's pose by folding his arms. "So, tell me, Mr. Saxon, what do you have against Rose?" 

For a second, the Prime Minister's cool façade fell. "I don't have anything against Miss. Tyler," he protested, "Other than the fact she's your girlfriend,"

"She isn't my girlfriend," the Doctor said, stoutly, making Rose look at him in confusion, "She's so much _more_ than that, she's so much _better_ than that." He felt a small squeeze at his waist and looked down at Rose's beaming face. He smiled back,

"Ah of course, my mistake," Mr. Saxon said smoothly, "The human love of the last remaining Time Lord. How could a 'girlfriend' ever compete?"

The Doctor's expression changed. "How do you know that I'm the last remaining Time Lord?" he asked quietly, "Who _are_ you?"

Mr. Saxon tutted. "Imagine that. You can't even recognise one of your own kind."

Suddenly, the Doctor clapped his hand to his forehead again as a blazing pain shot through his head. He fell to his knees, clutching his head and going pale with the pain.

"Stop it!" Rose screamed, pressing her hand over the Doctors', "You're hurting him!"

"Aww, doesn't ickle Rosie liked it when I hurt her boyfriend?" Mr. Saxon mocked, "Does it make her want to cry, seeing him in agony?"

"I said, _stop it_!" Rose yelled, ignoring his taunts.

He sighed. "Very well."

The Doctor breathed in deeply as the pain abruptly stopped. He stayed kneeling on the floor, one arm around Rose who was trembling from fright. "I'm OK, sweetheart," he told her, before looking up at the man in front of him, "You're a Time Lord?" he asked calmly, although inside he was shocked,

"Yes," Mr. Saxon replied, "And as soon as I destroy you, I shall be the last of the Time Lords,"

"You don't want that," the Doctor replied quietly, hoisting himself to his feet, "How did you survive the war?"

"Same way as you, I expect," replied the Prime Minister, "Lost a regeneration along the way but it was worth it,"

"_Nothing_ was worth losing Gallifrey and my people," the Doctor said, angrily,

"Not even Rose?" taunted the other Time Lord,

"You're twisting my words," the Doctor said, his grip on Rose increasing, "Who are you? I'm fed up of asking. Tell me now!"

"I'm hurt," Mr. Saxon said, pressing a hand to his left heart, "Don't you recognise your old classmate from the academy?"

"The Master…" the Doctor breathed out in horror,

"Good afternoon," the Master grinned, "Lovely to see you again, Doctor,"

"You should be dead!" the Doctor roared, striding forwards, "You didn't have any regenerations left!"

"Ah, but that's the beauty of transplantation," the Master grinned, "A new body with new regenerations."

The Doctor's lip curled with disgust. "You did it again like you did with Nyssa's father, Tremas?"

Rose tugged at his sleeve. "What's he done, Doctor?" she asked, feeling out of her depth, "Who _is_ he?"

He looked seriously at her. "Rose, do you remember with the Slitheen that they could take a human's body and use the skin to cover their true identity?"

Rose nodded slowly.

"Well, it's sort of the same here except it's his mind that has gone into the body. It's sort of like when Cassandra possessed us both back on New Earth but it's a permanent thing. Whoever that body belongs to is dead now. He killed him when he took that body and overwrote the mind," the Doctor explained, with a scowl.

Rose shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. "Doctor, who is he? He _can't_ be a Time Lord; they're all dead; you said you'd know if there was one still alive using your psychic connection thing!"

"_Clever_ girl!" the Master drawled,

"That's a good point," the Doctor said, "How didn't I know you were there?"

"Ah, well since I took this body- nice bloke, by the way, very similar mind- I devised a way of switching the connection on and off as I wanted. Like so… on…"

The Doctor felt pain rip through his head again.

"…And off…"

The pain disappeared immediately, leaving only the throbbing after effects.

"You need to turn it down," the Doctor gasped, "It's on too strongly!"

"No, I don't think so," the Master said, "I like it the way it is. And _on_…"

"Stop it!" Rose cried, "What's he ever done to you?"

"He's irritated me by simply being alive," the Master said, switching off the connection again, "How I rejoiced when I felt him dying several years ago only to regenerate. But now, I can achieve my aim of eliminating the Doctor and I will reign supreme as the last Time Lord! The universe will bow down to me and I shall control everywhere and everyone!"

"You're insane," the Doctor choked out, "Nothing ever changes with you, does it?" He clutched his head, feeling as if there were millions of tiny men hammering away at his skull, "Just tell me this. Why did you drug Rose with Retcon and make her lose all her memories? What did she ever do to you?"

"I didn't drug Rose," the Master replied, his eyes wide,

"Oh, don't lie!" the Doctor cried, "We _saw_ you on the security visuals from the party!"

"I'm not lying," the Master said, "I drugged _your_ glass, Doctor. What better way to eliminate you than making you forget all about yourself? It's not my fault you ended up drinking the wrong glass."

Something very cold settled around the Doctor and Rose's hearts. They couldn't believe the hell that they'd been through was simply due to a mistake. Nor could they believe that the Master had intended the Doctor to forget everything. Although her memories were just as important, Rose knew that if the Doctor had forgotten everything, the universe really would have been doomed. The last Time Lord- or the supposed last Time Lord Rose reminded herself- reduced to a mere shell. It was unthinkable.

"But… but Hugo insisted we finished those drinks!" Rose croaked, a thought suddenly occurring to her, "He watched to make sure we did!"

"Nothing to do with me," the Master said, "That stupid little dwarf is famous for his love of recycling. Of _course_ he'd make you finish your drinks! Lucky for me, eh?"

The Doctor rubbed his eyes, things beginning to fall into place. "How did you know we'd be there?"

"Sheer chance," was the answer,

"Alright, and how did _you_ happen to be there when you're supposed to be Prime Minister of 2011? That party took place in the year two-point-nine-slash-apple-slash-nineteen on another _world_!"

"Using my TARDIS, my dear Doctor," the Master replied, "I was in it when Gallifrey exploded. Of course, it has some augmented technology in it so your TARDIS couldn't trace it."

Rose looked back and forth between the two Time Lords, her heart constricting as she saw the anguish in her Doctor's eyes. She knew how shocked he must be feeling that there had been another Time Lord all along, and also how terrible that she'd lost her memories as a result of someone trying to get back at him.

"That competition," she said, suddenly, "Was it all a set up to draw us to you once you'd discovered we were back on Earth?"

The Master nodded. "I was livid when I discovered that the Doctor still had his memories so I set up the competition. I made everyone forget my name…"

"_How_?" asked the Doctor sharply.

The Master grinned. "The same way as I have them all adoring me. Through my gift of hypnosis via the wonderful medium of television. Humans really are such pathetic creatures. So weak willed,"

"No, they're not," the Doctor defended, "They are wonderful, clever and strong people and I won't have anyone say anything different."

The Master waved his hand, dismissing the argument. "As I was saying," he continued, "I made everyone forget my name and set the competition up, with the knowledge that you, Doctor, would tell Rose and I would be able to ensure that she won first prize,"

"How did you know the answer?" Rose asked the Doctor, "If it was a new body…"

"I dunno," the Doctor shook his head, "I just suddenly knew." He glared at the Master suddenly. "You sent me the answer telepathically, didn't you?"

The Master slowly began to clap. "Oh, bravo!" he said, sarcastically, "I was wondering when you would get it. So I had you, Rose, and I knew you would bring along the Doctor to the meeting. And then, of course, I needed the thousand runners up for my first step in world domination,"

"The Daleks…" Rose whispered, suddenly guessing, "They were the runners up?"

The Master nodded, smiling cheerfully. "I used Skaro technology I had salvaged from the Time War and manufactured my own Daleks. Of course, the runners up were just guinea pigs but I am glad to say the prototype worked,"

"You murdered one thousand people?" Rose asked, lowly,

"Oh no, Rose," the Master said, "_You_ did with your clever golden thingy,"

"No, you didn't Rose," the Doctor commanded firmly, as soon as he saw her face begin to crumple, "The people were murdered when _he_ turned them into Daleks." He grabbed her hands and squeezed them tightly, "Trust me like you always do. You know I'd never lie to you."

Rose nodded shakily, wanting nothing more than to go home and curl up in bed with the Doctor. She almost wished her memories hadn't returned.

"OK," he said, squeezing her hands again before turning back to the Master, his face the most furious that Rose had ever seen it. Even when he was facing down Daleks, he had never been this angry. "_You_!" he spat, "You mean to say that you used our _enemy's_ technology, the enemy that helped to _destroy_ Gallifrey and our _people_, and you used it to build a new race of Daleks just so you could do a few experiments! Have you no morality whatsoever? I thought even _you_ wouldn't stoop that low!"

The Master simply smiled at him. It was the straw that broke the camel's back.

With a heart wrenching cry, the Doctor raced forward, determined to do as much damage as he could to the Master, ignoring all of Rose's pleas for him to stop. All of a sudden, his head felt like it was about to split open as the Master activated the psychic connection. The Doctor moaned in pain, his hands clutching his forehead. Rose ran forward to him, tears streaming down her face and screaming for the Master to stop it. She'd never seen her Time Lord in so much agony before.

All of a sudden, the door flew open and Jack ran in, quickly followed by Lara, the red haired guard from outside the door.

"I'm sorry, sir. I couldn't stop him!" she cried, before looking taken aback at what was happening.

Jack immediately ran over to the Doctor and Rose, not really sure how to break the connection.

"Rose, honey," he gasped, pulling gently at her arm, "We…"

He cut off as Rose suddenly pushed him forcefully backwards onto the floor, stood up and marched over to the Master.

"Good girl," he said, softly, withdrawing a small round cylinder from inside his suit pocket and handing it her,

"Rose?" the Doctor whispered, his voice hoarse from his cries but temporarily relieved of the connection, "Sweetheart?"

"Now, Rose," the Master said, icily, to the blank staring Rose who he had just hypnotised in the commotion. "You have two options. In your hand is my treasured tool, the Tissue Compression Eliminator. It will reduce its target to doll-size and will kill them. You are to use it on either your precious Doctor or Mr. Harkness here, your beloved best friend. There are no other options." He coughed slightly and straightened his back, looking smug. "I am the Master, and you will obey me!"

----------

'_**K, couple of things. A) I've never seen the Master on Doctor Who so have had to use **__**Wikipedia and the knowledge of my wonderful friend Witch Nova (thanks, hun!) so apologies to any classic Whovians if there's any glaring mistakes (eeek). B) I have an ambulance on speed dial if anyone has any heart problems as a result of the end of this chapter (let me know via a review) and C) **__**Review please. Constructive criticism is gladly received. **_


	16. Saying Goodbye

**Memories and the Master**

_**Um… is it safe to come out yet?**_

_**Thanks for all the reviews for last chapter. I hope all the ambulances arrived alright and I've not had anyone die on me. The ambulance service started charging me after the 10**__**th**__** call out so I hope you're all satisfied! Hehe. **_

_**Hope you enjoy the chapter and hope it makes up for not having Doctor Who on thanks to stupid Eurovision. Let's see who's still alive at the end of it… (and it's up to you whether I mean this chapter or Eurovision)**_

_**Disclaimer: Nothing you might recognise belongs to me**_

* * *

**Part Sixteen: Saying Goodbye**

The silence in the interview room was deafening as Jack and the Doctor stared at one another, panic-stricken. Rose stepped forward holding out the Master's Tissue Compression Eliminator and glanced from Jack to her lover and then back again, as if she was making up her mind. The Master watched gleefully from behind her, his expression sour and malicious. He wondered who she'd choose, as did everyone in the room.

"Rose," the Doctor said in a low voice, "Angel, don't do this. Fight it; I know you can do it!"

The Master chortled. "She can't hear you, Doctor. She's completely under my command."

The Doctor bit his lip nervously as Rose swung around to face him, her expressionless eyes boring into his. His insides gave a jolt suddenly. Right in the depths of her eyes, he could see a glimmer of his Rose. No matter what the Master said, she was fighting. The Doctor closed his eyes briefly before reopening them and gazing directly into her eyes, seeking out the struggling Rose. She stared back, standing completely still and the Tissue Compression Eliminator stayed in her hand that was down by her side.

"Now, Jack!" the Doctor yelled, leaping forwards and ripping the eliminator out of Rose's hand before pushing her to the ground. Meanwhile, Jack had pulled a smoke bomb out of his pocket and thrown it in the Master's direction. It exploded in front of him before he knew what was happening, the force knocking him out.

"Everybody out!" Jack shouted, blindly making his way through the thick smoke for the doorway, "You, Lara was it? Get out!"

"But… Mr. Saxon…" she stuttered.

Jack growled. "Did you not see what he tried to do?" he cried, "He tried to make a woman kill someone. He is _not_ a good man. Now, get out quickly!"

Lara scrambled to obey, pulling open the door and falling into the pristine corridor outside. Her mind was a jumble, unable to process what she had just witnessed. Her precious Mr. Saxon… how could he do that?

Back inside the interview room, Jack was shouting for his friends.

"We're coming!" the Doctor replied, attempting to pull Rose along the floor with him. He had managed to weaken the hypnotic bond that the Master had on her enough for her to break it but now she was very dazed and incapable of doing much for herself. "C'mon, Rose," the Doctor whispered, "It's OK, sweetheart." His heart rate quickened when she began to cough from inhaling too much of the smoke. "Jack!" he shouted,

"I'm here," the ex-Time Agent replied, suddenly appearing in front of them, "Is she OK?"

"Get her out of here. I need to do something first," the Doctor said, handing Rose over to the captain,

"But…"

"_Now_ Jack!" the Doctor cried, "She's inhaling too much smoke. I'll be out in a second."

Jack nodded, not really understanding what his friend was attempting to do but willing to trust him. He heaved Rose up in his arms and, as quickly as he could, made for the corridor outside.

In the meantime, the Doctor crawled over to where the Master was lying on the ground unconscious from the smoke bomb. Feeling his respiratory bypass kick into action, he placed his hands on his fellow Time Lord's temples and closed his eyes. About thirty seconds later, he reopened them, grinned hopefully, and scrambled for the door, locking it with the sonic screwdriver as he went. He knew that the smoke wasn't thick enough to cause any damage to the Master, as much as he wished it was.

He glanced around the corridor, his eyes immediately falling on Jack and Rose. The ex-Time Agent was sitting on the floor, his back resting against the wall with Rose in his arms, her face pressing against his chest and her shoulders shaking. The Doctor quickly walked over to them before dropping to his knees and placing one hand on his angel's back.

"Rose?" he asked.

She lifted her head to face him before grasping his shirt and pulling him closer to her and wrapping her arm around him so she was hugging both of her men. They both hugged her back tightly, none of them speaking just revelling in being alive after what the Master had attempted to make Rose do.

Lara, who was sitting on the opposite side of the corridor, watched them, wondering who they were. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of running feet. She looked up, brushing a stray bit of hair away from her face, to see a man and a woman that she knew by sight but not personally. They both looked shell-shocked and Lara could only imagine that they'd had their beliefs knocked as badly as she had.

The Doctor looked up and tensed at the new arrivals before Jack laid a calming hand on his arm.

"It's OK. They're friends of mine." He carefully extracted himself from Rose and stood up, walking towards them,

"Jack?" the man whispered in a shaking voice, "Was it all true?"

Jack nodded. Ianto and Lisa had stood next to him listening to the conversation from the interview room on the computer. They had steadily got paler and paler as the truth had poured out of Mr. Saxon's lips, but had been unable to say a word. As soon as the Master had activated the psychic connection when the Doctor had attacked him, Jack had run as fast as he could towards the interview room. His best friends were in pain and he was going to stop it.

Ianto swallowed and Lisa gave a little cry of horror at the news.

"Jack?" the Doctor said, quietly, "We need to get back to the TARDIS."

Jack nodded. "Ianto, do you know a safe way out of here?" he asked, urgently.

The Welshman thought for a moment before nodding determinedly. "Follow me."

Jack smiled at him before doing as he asked. The Doctor helped Rose stand up before putting a supporting arm around her waist and allowing her to lean on him. They walked slowly down the corridor and around the corner out of sight. Lara watched them go, knowing that she should report their escape to Miss. Hartman and the troop of guards in the room down the corridor, but finding that she couldn't. She had admired Mr. Saxon for so long but seeing him do that, it had really shaken her up.

* * *

The paths through the white corridors of the Torchwood Institute were relatively clear until they got to the last corridor that would take them to the outside world. Jack, Ianto and Lisa had taken the lead up ahead and were checking that the corridors were clear before continuing the journey. 

Suddenly, Jack gestured violently at the Doctor and Rose who were close behind and whispered for them to stand still. People were coming.

Ianto strode out into the mass of his co-workers who were noisily making their way back from outside. A man of about fifty caught sight of him.

"Hey, Ianto, do you know what's going on?"

"No," Ianto said, "Weren't we told to assemble outside?"

"Yeah," the man said, "But nobody else came out so we decided to get back to work. We've still got mountains of paperwork to catch up on after that attack yesterday with those metal dustbin things."

Ianto nodded unhappily. He hated doing paperwork!

"You coming then?" the man asked, as the rest of their collegues trundled past along the corridor, ignoring the branch where the three time travellers were hiding,

"I'll be up in a bit. I have to finish something that Miss. Hartman asked me to do," Ianto lied quickly,

"Ah, alright. See you." The man nodded and jogged after his workmates. Ianto sighed. He wasn't keen on lying.

"Yan, I'm going to go back to work," Lisa said, appearing beside him, "You get them out and then come up, alright?"

"Yeah," the Welshman said, "Thanks, Lisa." He embraced her tightly, feeling all his love for his girlfriend sweep through him,

"You're welcome," she said, kissing him, "See you soon. And you're taking me out for dinner tonight,"

"It's a promise," Ianto smiled, watching as she waved goodbye to Jack and then followed the path that everyone else had just taken. He felt Jack come and stand next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder,

"She's a great woman," he commented.

Ianto nodded. "I'm so lucky. She's been in my life for seven years and we've been dating for just over five. I love her to bits,"

"Why don't you ask her to marry you then?"

Ianto looked at Jack in surprise. "Do you think she'd say yes?"

"You're crazy about each other. I bet she's been wishing you'd propose for a while now," Jack said, honestly.

Ianto didn't reply but leant against the wall, thinking deeply.

While this conversation had been taking place, the Doctor and Rose had been having their own. The Doctor had quickly pushed Rose up against the wall when Jack had given his warning and stood in front of her so he could ward off any danger. However, no danger arrived thanks to Ianto's quick thinking.

Rose still seemed lifeless and not really with it and the Doctor was afraid she was going into shock. He looked down at her to discover her staring a hole in his chest, frowning slightly. Gently, he took his hand and brushed his knuckles lightly across her cheek. Slowly, she looked up at him and the Doctor nearly took a step backwards at the horror in her eyes.

"I nearly killed you," she whispered, her bottom lip trembling,

"But you didn't," he told her firmly, "And don't you dare go blaming yourself for something that you had no control over. I should have warned you that he could hypnotise you."

Rose sighed; dropping her gaze to her hands which she half imagined would be stained red with blood.

"If…," she began, shakily, "If I had used that thing on you, would you have regenerated?"

"I don't know," the Doctor said, "Hopefully yes, but because the eliminator makes its victims doll sized, it would have been a very painful regeneration if the process had started at all."

Rose sniffed. "I don't want you to regenerate. I love you the way you are,"

"I've got to admit I'm rather attached to this current body. It's rather foxy, don't you think?"

He smiled when Rose gave a small giggle, lifting her eyes back up again.

"Right, then," the Doctor continued, pulling her into a tight hug, "When we get home, you and I are going to have a long cuddle and then, once we've said goodbye to everyone, I'm taking you to the most fantastic pleasure planet in the whole universe so we can relax and have fun. That sound good?"

"Mmm, yeah," Rose sighed, inhaling his scent, "Sounds fantastic." She relaxed slightly in his arms, knowing that it was going to take her a while to get over the day's events but knowing that the Doctor would be there to help her.

"Guys," Jack's voice interrupted them, "We've got to go."

Rose reluctantly moved out of the Doctor's embrace and took his hand before they followed Jack and Ianto along the corridor and out of a glass door that the Welshman unlocked with a key card. They stumbled out into the early evening sunshine, taking deep breaths of air and looking around. There was no-one else out there in the car park; something that they were all profoundly grateful for.

"The exit is over there," Ianto said, pointing across the car park, "And we're at Canary Wharf if you didn't know."

The Doctor glanced upwards, feeling astonished as he took in the graceful building above him. He suddenly remembered that day, about two weeks ago, when he'd brought Rose, Kirsty and Lauren here, hoping to find the trigger. They'd seen Mr. Saxon leaving from this very building!

"OK," Jack said, "Thanks, Ianto. This means a lot and I'll never forget your help."

Ianto blushed. "It was my pleasure," he said, with a shy smile.

Jack grinned at him. "C'mon then guys, let's get outta here!"

"I'm not coming," the Doctor said, suddenly.

Rose and Jack turned to look at him, shocked.

"I need you to go back to the TARDIS and bring her over here," he explained quickly, knowing his friends were about to protest,

"But…why?" Rose asked,

"We need to get rid of the Master. We can't let him stay here or he'll cause trouble. There's only one way I can do it and I need the TARDIS for that,"

"Why can't you go and get it with Rose?" Jack said,

"Why do _I_ have to go?" Rose demanded, "I want to stay with you!"

The Doctor sighed. "Rose, my angel, I need you to get away from here. Don't forget that the Master isn't the only threat to you. You'll be much safer away from here,"

"But so will you," Rose whispered, seeing the sense of his words,

"I need to stay here. I'm the only one who knows what the Master is capable of in case he escapes. He can't hypnotise me like he can with you two,"

"But he can hurt you with the psychic connection," Rose said.

The Doctor grinned suddenly. "That shouldn't be a problem. I entered the Master's mind earlier when he was knocked out and switched it off permanently. He can't hurt me that way,"

"Are you sure?" Jack asked, seriously, "I'm not leaving you here if there's any chance he could hurt you."

The Doctor beamed at Jack, his hearts swelling with all the platonic love he felt for the ex-con man. He couldn't be more proud of his friend than at that moment.

"There is no way. I'll be fine," he insisted, "Just, promise me, you'll look after Rose?"

Jack nodded. The Doctor didn't really need to ask. He always took care of his sister of everything but blood. "Be careful," he warned, before stepping away with the listening Ianto to allow his friends some privacy to say goodbye.

Rose stared up at the Doctor, blinking furiously to clear the tears out of her eyes. "Promise me you'll look after yourself?" she said, "Don't put yourself into danger, I know you,"

"I promise," the Doctor vowed, "I'm going to be OK and we'll see each other again hopefully in less than an hour."

Rose nodded shakily, believing him as always. She raised herself up and looped her arms around his neck; staring into his dark eyes and feeling their breath intermingle. "I love you," she whispered, before closing the gap and kissing him, pouring all the love she felt for him into that one kiss. The Doctor moaned and opened his mouth slightly, allowing her tongue to slide in and duel playfully with his. Rose pulled back and smiled slightly. "Give him a kick from me if you get the opportunity," she said.

The Doctor laughed, a little breathless from their kiss and so grateful that she felt able to kiss him again. He'd not had a proper kiss with Rose where both participants knew that they loved one another for over a month and he had sorely missed it. "I love you too," he said, "Now, get going and stay safe." He pecked her on the lips again before releasing her, watching as she grinned bravely at him and jogged over to Jack, taking his hand.

Rose looked back over her shoulder at her brave soldier as she and Jack quickly ran out of the car park. She hoped he'd be alright.

But with the Master and Yvonne Hartman and her Torchwood cronies roaming around the building, she couldn't be sure.

* * *

_**Review please. Constructive criticism is gladly received**_


	17. Run

**Memories and the Master**

_**Sorry this is a bit late but it was murder to write. I seriously nearly threw my PC out of the window but then remembered how much I loved it. Anyway, I hope this part's OK and I'd value your opinion. Thanks, as always, for the reviews for last chapter and feel free to send me some more. Lol. **_

_**Disclaimer: Nothing you might recognise belongs to me**_

* * *

**Part Seventeen: Run**

Due to the fact that Jack and Rose were able to flag down a taxi almost straight after exiting the Torchwood grounds, they were back at the Powell Estate within thirty minutes of leaving the Doctor. Rose had spent the entire journey tapping her fingers on her knees until Jack had reached over and grasped her hand in his.

"He'll be alright," he reassured her quietly, "He's the Doctor."

Rose had nodded mutely but the gnawing worry inside her hadn't depleted by much.

As soon as the taxi had pulled up in the familiar estate, Rose had leapt out of the taxi, leaving Jack to pay the driver, and sprinted into the TARDIS, swearing loudly when her fingers fumbled with the key. Finally, she ripped the door open and stumbled inside.

It was hard to imagine but it had only been about five hours since they'd been there last. It had felt like a lot longer. So much had happened and so much had been revealed. Rose coughed slightly, determined to put these thoughts to the back of her mind until she could worry about them later. Right now, she was focused on getting back to the Doctor and then getting off this planet.

Right on cue, Jack entered the TARDIS closing the door behind him. He grinned weakly at her. The absence of the Doctor was very evident.

"Let's get going then!" He hurried over to the control panel and began to flick some switches. Rose moved to his side.

"Do you need a hand?" The Doctor had taught her and Jack how to fly the TARDIS about a year ago in case there was ever an emergency. However, Rose hadn't paid very much attention to his instructions as she had been too preoccupied by his bum. She could remember the basics though.

"No," Jack said, "I just need her to track him and that's not difficult. Say, can you go and get me my spare sonic blaster?"

She nodded and ran out of the control room and to Jack's room where she knew he kept his spare blaster. Just as she was leaving his room, she felt a soft thud signalling the fact that they had arrived at their destination.

"Jack!" she yelled, rushing back to the control room,

"I'm here," he said, adjusting his belt which he'd refilled with nifty little gadgets that might come in use. He strode forward and took both of her hands. "Rose, promise me you'll be careful in there. The Doctor gave you to me to look after and I'm not gonna break my promise. Stick with me, alright?"

"OK," Rose promised, squeezing his hands. She knew he was only looking out for her. "Let's go kick some evil Time Lord ass!"

Jack grinned as they hurried out of the door, hands entwined.

"Why aren't we inside the building?" Rose asked, blinking in the early evening sunshine. She gazed up at the tall Torchwood building in front of them, "Is the Doctor out here?"

Jack shrugged, scanning the car park. "Doesn't look like it," he said, "C'mon, let's go inside."

He pulled Rose back in through the door that they had escaped using only forty minutes early. From the outside, the building had looked calm and peaceful but inside was a very different matter. The alarm klaxon was blaring once more, forcing the two time travellers to cover their ears and screw up their faces. Over the noise, there was the sound of running feet and several guards flashed past the end of the corridor that Jack and Rose were creeping upwards.

"Hey! Hey, you!" a voice suddenly shouted. A man ran up to them, looking angry. "What are you doing? Why aren't you with your troop and who's the girl?"

Nonplussed for a second, Jack glanced down at his clothes, suddenly realising that he was still wearing the guard's uniform that Ianto had nicked for him earlier. "Sorry… sir," he said, guessing from the way that the man carried himself and spoke that he was some high authority, "I was ordered by Miss. Hartman to escort this Torchwood prisoner to the Interview room."

The high ranking guard grew redder. "Don't be stupid!" he yelled, "The breach is in the Interview Room! Can you _get_ much thicker? Take her to solitary confinement three and then rejoin your troop at the Interview Room. Mr. Saxon needs protection!" He scurried off down the corridor leaving two worried time travellers behind.

"Sounds like Mr. Saxon has come around," Rose commented, biting her lip and frowning.

Jack nodded. "I think our best bet is to get up there and see what's happening. Something tells me we might find the Doctor up there,"

"OK," Rose agreed, praying that her lover was alright and hadn't done anything stupid. She followed Jack down the corridor, in the same direction that the man had just gone.

* * *

After watching the two dearest people in his current life disappear out of the Torchwood grounds, the Doctor had turned and re-entered the building along with Ianto, with a heavy heart. He'd bade goodbye to the Welshman who had said he needed to get back to work to avoid suspicion, and continued his journey back up the stairs to where they'd left the Master lying unconscious. 

The corridor outside the Interview Room was deserted at that moment in time, and tiny tendrils of smoke were escaping out of the bottom of the doorway. From inside the room, the Doctor could hear banging noises and shouts. Gritting his teeth, he unlocked the door with the sonic screwdriver and pushed it open.

Immediately a flurry of smoke erupted around him, temporarily blinding him. He waved his arm in front of his face to clear the smoke and peered into the darkness, cautiously taking a few steps into the room, unsure of where the Master was.

_Wham!_

Suddenly the door was slammed shut and the Doctor felt a dull pain in the back of his head. He crashed to the floor before quickly turning over so he could see who was behind him.

"Hello again, Doctor," the Master grinned maliciously,

"Hello," he replied airily, getting to his feet and bracing himself, "Come round then? That's a shame."

The Master growled for a second. "So, where's your pretty friend?"

"Safe," the Doctor said, "I'm not letting her near you,"

"Aww. Is it too much for her to see her beloved Doctor in pain?" the Master cooed sarcastically, before grinning as he activated the psychic connection.

The Doctor impassively stared at him as the grin slipped off his foe's face to be replaced by a look of confusion. "Something wrong?" he enquired.

The Master's eyes seemed to go unfocused for a moment. "You turned it off!" he exclaimed angrily, "You b…"

"Language!" the Doctor said, smartly, grinning at his small triumph over his enemy, "I can't have you hurting me, can I? That's not very fair."

The Master scowled. "Very well," he decided, "I'll have to defeat you using primitive human methods. But be assured, Doctor, I will defeat you this time."

The Doctor laughed coldly. "You've never succeeded before. Why should this time be any different?"

"Because," the Master said, "this time, I have the entire human population under my control." His arm suddenly hit out and he slapped the red alarm button on the wall. Immediately, a klaxon began to wail, signalling to everyone inside the Torchwood Institute that there had been a breach in the Interview Room.

Knowing the Master's words to be true, the Doctor ran for the door and locked it using his sonic screwdriver. He then turned back and faced the Master.

"Just you and me, now."

The Master's lip curled. "You always have to ruin my fun, Doctor," he spat, "Never mind, I'll have to make my own fun up." He suddenly ran forward and punched the Doctor in the face. The Doctor immediately retaliated and kneed him in the stomach, winding him for a second until his respiratory bypass kicked into action. For the second he was distracted, the Doctor skirted around him and grabbed him, forcing his arms behind his back and then pushed him violently up against a wall.

"Why did you do it?" he angrily growled in his ear,

"Do what?" the Master gasped,

"Everything!" the Doctor roared, his rage taking over, "Why did you drug Rose or attempt to drug me? Why did you build a _Dalek_ army?" He shoved the Master against the wall again, furiously. "Why do you always want to kill me? Why…" He broke off, breathing heavily. He swallowed and continued in a much quieter voice, full of pain, "Why didn't you make yourself known to me earlier if you knew I'd survived? We were the only two Time Lords left in the entire universe. Do you _know_ how much pain I was in; how lonely I felt?" Suddenly feeling his rage return, the Doctor grabbed the other Time Lord by the shoulders and spun him around. "Why couldn't you come and _save_ me?"

The Master's eyes glittered as they bored in the Doctors'. "Why?" he asked, softly, "Because I wanted you to hurt and feel lonely! You deserved it for what you did to Gallifrey! You destroyed it, Doctor! You murdered all of our friends and family and people! I'm never going to forgive you for that, _ever_!"

The Doctor froze, finding it difficult to breathe for a second. As a result, the Master found it easy to push him backwards and began to punch him furiously. He covered his face unconsciously but didn't attempt to defend himself from the blows; his mind being too preoccupied. For years, he'd managed to bury his feelings of what happened at the end of the Time War but now the Master's harsh words had brought it all up again.

Suddenly, the door burst open and several guards fell inside, chucking aside the fire extinguisher that they had used to break down the door with. They ran to take their customary positions around the room before glimpsing the scene in front of them. They froze, unable to take it in, before one of them leapt forward and attempted to pull the Master off the Doctor.

"Help me!" she yelled at her collegues, none of which had moved yet. Suddenly another person ran in through the doorway. It was Ianto, who had been watching the goings on in the Interview Room on his computer in complete shock. Once he had returned to his desk, he had been unable to shake off the feeling that something was wrong and had hacked into the security system again. He quickly helped the female guard and within a few moments, the Master was securely held in their grip.

"Lara, what are you doing?" a furious voice boomed as an angry looking man entered, "Have you gone completely mad? Why are you detaining Mr. Saxon? It's this criminal on the floor that's the troublemaker!"

"No, it's not!" Lara defended herself, shakily, "I've seen stuff going on this afternoon which makes me question our belief in how good Mr. Saxon is." She gritted her teeth as he struggled in her grip. "When we arrived in here, he was punching this other man."

"Doctor!" a voice suddenly screamed.

Rose and Jack had arrived after following the commander, and Rose had immediately seen her love lying on the floor. She ran over to him, quickly followed by Jack and knelt down next to him, scanning his injuries, watched curiously by everyone else. The Doctor had a bleeding nose and several cuts and bruises across his face.

"Rose," he whispered, his hand gratefully reaching for hers, "Oh God, Rose."

Rose looked worriedly at him, noticing the slightly shell-shocked expression on his face. She wondered what had been going on in here. "I'm here," she murmured, "Can you sit up?"

"Yeah," he said, pushing himself up, "I'm alright." He wiped his nose clear of blood but more appeared.

"Um… Rose?" said a voice, nervously. She looked up to see Ianto offering a clean, white handkerchief that he had just pulled out of his pocket. Jack stood up and took it before handing it to the Doctor.

"Thanks," he said, his voice muffled.

Suddenly, Lara gave a little shriek as the Master, realising that the grip on him wasn't as firm anymore- as Ianto had loosed his clutch to retrieve his hanky- forced his way out of their clutch and aimed his Tissue Compression Eliminator at Rose. Before anyone had time to process what was going on, he pressed the button and a red beam shot out.

"Rose!" the Doctor yelled, rolling over and pushing her to the left just in time. He quickly stood up, glaring at the Master. He pulled Rose to her feet and slowly pushed her backwards towards the door whilst still glowering at his enemy. "You _bastard!" _he roared, "Isn't it enough that you have to hurt me without hurting her too?"

"I want to destroy you, Doctor," the Master said icily, "And the easiest way to do that is to destroy your heart." He fired the eliminator again in Rose's direction, who was peering over the Doctor's shoulder. She shrieked slightly and ducked behind him, clutching the back of his suit with trembling fingers.

"Stop it, you monster!" Lara suddenly screamed; jumping on the Master's back from her position behind him and pummelling his head and face furiously. Her faith in him was completely broken.

"Rose, _run_!" the Doctor hissed, seeing the opportunity while the Master was distracted, "Please, my love. Get back to the TARDIS and stay in there. I'll join you soon,"

"OK," Rose whispered, not wanting to leave him or Jack in the company of a madman but seeing the sense in it, "Love you." She silently slipped out of the room, her heart beating wildly.

Meanwhile, Lara was still yelling at the Master and hitting him weakly. "I believed in you!," she shrieked, "I thought you were the best person ever, the best Prime Minister who could do no wrong but now I find all you are is a monster who likes to destroy people. You're _alien!_"

"That's right," the Master said, easily throwing her off his back and sending her tumbling to the ground, "I am alien. And therefore, I don't have any morals." He turned and took a step back before staring down at the crumpled heap at his feet before firing the eliminator at her. The horrified crowd watched as the lively, red haired young woman was reduced to the size of a doll. She was obviously dead.

Screams suddenly rang out from the Torchwood officials and there was a panic as they tried to squeeze out of the narrow doorway at the same time. The Master began to laugh as he shot several more guards and the screaming intensified.

Jack suddenly ran towards the Master who had his back to him and knocked the eliminator out of his hand before kicking it away into the corner of the room.

"Move!" he yelled, grabbing Ianto and pushing him out of the door, "Get away from here!" He then turned back and stamped violently on the Master's right hand from where he was reaching for the eliminator. He cried out in pain, clutching his hand to his chest and gritting his teeth,

"You'll pay for that," he threatened.

Jack didn't bother to answer, instead focused on getting the room evacuated. He caught up with the Doctor who was just outside the room and exchanged a tense grin.

"Good work," the Doctor praised, hastily slamming the door shut and locking it with his sonic screwdriver. It wouldn't hold for very long as it had been weakened by the guards battering it with the fire extinguisher but it was worth a shot,

"Thanks," Jack said, "Where's Rose? Is she safe?"

"I'm here!" called a voice.

The Doctor turned and let out a minuscule groan as the love of his life ran up to him. "Rose, you shouldn't be here. I told you to go to the TARDIS!"

"I wanted to stay with you," she said guiltily, "Plus, I couldn't get past the guards." She gestured down the corridor. Her two male companions looked and saw about one hundred guards blocking the corridor. But they weren't about to attack. Instead, most of them looked confused, worried and scared. They looked broken. The Doctor guessed what had happened. They'd all witnessed the brutal murders of their fellow guards by Mr. Saxon and, as a result, the hypnotic link had been broken, making them doubt their hero.

He suddenly became aware of a loud thudding from the doorway to the Interview Room as the Master attempted to escape.

"Right," he decided, "This is the plan. We explain to the guards who Mr. Saxon is and get them on our side. Then, _somehow_, we bundle the Master into the TARDIS and get rid of him, OK?"

Jack nodded, not entirely sure _how_ they were going to get rid of the Master but trusting the Doctor to know a way.

"You better do the rousing speech," Rose said, taking the Doctor's hand and entwining their fingers, "You're good at them. That one on the Sanctuary Base when the Beast was playing on all our fears was brilliant,"

"OK," the Doctor nodded, with a smile. He glanced back at the door nervously. "Jack, can you keep guard here so we're warned when he escapes? Don't do anything stupid though,"

"Like I would," Jack scoffed, "Go on or he'll be out!"

The Doctor nodded and led Rose towards the group of guards who started shouting desperate questions at them as soon as they got near. The Doctor sighed before holding up his free hand for silence. He then began to explain to the stunned guards who exactly their Prime Minister was and what he'd done. All through the short but detailed speech, the guards were slowly growing white and were hardly able to believe him. But there was something about this strange man, dressed in a pinstriped suit and converses, which made them trust him.

"What do we do?" asked a guard when the Doctor had finished, "What _can_ we do?"

"Fight," the Doctor replied, "But watch out for the Tissue Compression Eliminator and don't look him directly in the eye or you'll be hypnotised again. I need to get him outside to the car park eventually,"

"Alright," said the commander, taking a step forwards, "Troops one and two; take first line of defence but heed the Doctor's warnings. Troop three; ensure that all other Torchwood officials remain in their offices. This Institute is now on lock-down. The rest of you prepare and defend the most direct route out of here. Is that clear?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" shouted the guards as one, before running off to do what they had been ordered,

"He's coming!" Jack yelled, skidding to a halt next to them, "Get ready!" He pulled out a gun from the guard's uniform he was wearing and got into position with the troops on first defence.

"Jack, what are you doing?" Rose cried, "Come on!"

"I'm staying here," Jack said, firmly, "I'm going to help bring the Master down and nothing you can say will stop me. I'll meet you back at the TARDIS or back at the Powell Estate if necessary."

The Doctor looked at Jack for a long moment. "Good man," he said briefly, "Good luck." He nodded to Jack and then pulled Rose down the corridor. They had just turned the corner and were running down the steps when they heard the first rattle of gunfire. The guards were using tranquilizers and other non-deadly weaponry rather than bullets.

"He better be OK," Rose said, fiercely, squeezing the Doctor's hand, "Or I'll be having words with him!"

The Doctor smiled and gripped her hand tighter as they ran along the next corridor. Various guards were stationed along it, ready to fire if the Master came down here.

"Is he coming?" a guard asked them nervously,

"Yes," the Doctor replied simply. The guard's instructions were to bring the Master down to the car park using any means necessary.

The guard gulped and straightened his back before adjusting his gun. The Doctor smiled, admiring the bravery of these humans, and was about to carry on when he heard the guard let out a little gasp.

He and Rose spun around to see two Torchwood employees appear from a side room, wheeling a trolley that had a metal pressurised container on it.

"Hey, what's going on?" asked one of them, upon seeing the armed guards,

"Get back inside the room!" the Doctor yelled, "There's a lunatic on the loose and he may be here any moment!"

There came an amused laugh from behind the trolley. "I'm already here. And thank you for that wonderful compliment, Doctor."

Rose's heart stilled as she heard the Master's cool voice. She hoped that the fact that he was here unharmed didn't mean that Jack and the rest of the guards stationed upstairs were hurt.

"Oh, Mr. Saxon!" said one of the employees, in a voice filled with awe, "Sorry for blocking your way!"

They pushed the trolley aside, beaming with pride as Mr. Saxon smiled at them. He then whipped out his eliminator and fired beams of red light at them. They were dead before their doll sized corpses hit the ground.

"_FIRE!_" screamed one of the guards.

The Doctor pulled Rose to one side as a hail of darts sped through the air to where the Master was standing. He ducked behind the trolley, easily evading them.

"You can't hide forever," Rose yelled, "Stand up and take it like a _man_!"

The Doctor looked at her in surprise. "Too many American movies, Rose," he teased. He then looked down at the Master. "But she's right; stop hiding. Just pretend you're a man for once!"

The Master snarled at his foe. "No-one can get the better of the Master," he growled to himself, "I am the Master and everyone will obey me!" With a yell, he powerfully pushed the trolley in front of him down the corridor towards the guards and time travellers. He then stood up and faced them, his face one big scowl. "Meet thy doom, Time Lord!" he yelled, before shooting his eliminator at the pressurised container.

The Doctor's quick mind processed what was about to happen, seconds before it did. With a strangled bellow, he shoved the trolley back towards the Master and, at the same time, pushed Rose in front of him. "_RUN!_" he roared.

He heard the loud explosion at the container blew up and dived on top of Rose as the blast swept up the corridor. He squeezed his eyes closed tightly and tried to cover as much of Rose's body as he could as the searing heat wave blew over them. He could feel the skin on the back of his neck and hands blistering and he could hear Rose's muffled screams from underneath him and the shouts of other guards as the explosion engulfed them. Briefly, he wondered if Jack was still alive before he slipped into blackness and knew no more.

* * *

_**Review please. Constructive criticism is gladly received**_


	18. A Master Plan

**Memories and the Master**

_**Thanks for the reviews and hope you enjoy this chapter. Many thanks to Crawford ( **__**pazaz of nothing**_) **_for coming up with the brilliant way of getting rid of the Master. And don't sue me for the chapter title lol. Another A/N at the end. _**

_**Disclaimer: Nothing you might recognise belongs to me**_

* * *

**Part Eighteen: A Master Plan **

All Rose Tyler knew was that there was a heavy weight spread all over her back. She wriggled slightly before her memories kicked back in.

"Oh my God, _Doctor_!" she cried, her voice slightly muffled. She began to wriggle even more violently, trying to get away from under him. If he wasn't moving, then it wasn't good news.

"Hang on, honey," came a welcome voice,

"_Jack_!" she said, happily, as the Doctor was lifted off her body and she rolled out and over to see the face of her best friend, "You're OK!"

"Yeah," he replied, pulling her up with a sombre look on his face, "You alright?"

Rose nodded, briefly hugging him before crouching next to the Doctor. He was lying on his front with his face turned out to the side. "Oh, God," she mumbled, scanning the remainders of his jacket and shirt and the redness of his skin. She bit her lip and knelt next to his face, listening hard. "He's breathing!" she said, before gently pressing her ear to his upper back, "And both hearts are going strong." She breathed a sigh of relief before tears smarted in her eyes. Jack hauled her up and hugged her.

"He's just unconscious," he told her, "He'll come round in a moment, don't worry."

Rose nodded her head, tearfully, "But his _back_!" she whispered, "It's all burnt!"

"He'll be OK," Jack tried to reassure her, "We'll get him back to the TARDIS med-centre and there'll be something there to fix him up. There always is,"

"Alright," Rose said, briefly comforted, "C'mon, let's get him there now!"

"Hang on," Jack said, catching hold of her wrist, "Look."

Rose turned and looked down the end of the corridor that they had run up moments before and covered her mouth with her hand. There was the wreckage of the trolley and the pressurised container lying on the floor and then, just a little further on, a body that was beginning to glow gold.

"Is that the Master?" she asked, beginning to run down the corridor, "He's regenerating!"

She skidded to a halt just before the body and nearly turned away in revulsion. There were dark burns and cuts all over the Master's body and his face was a bloody mess. "Oh, God," she whimpered.

Jack put his arm around her, trying to offer the comfort that he needed as well. Although neither of them liked the Master, especially after what he'd attempted to make Rose do earlier, they didn't think anyone deserved this. They both watched in horror and fascination as the Master's body glowed a stronger gold before his features began to blur and changed before their very eyes. Jack had never seen a regeneration before and Rose had only seen the Doctors', and had been too distressed to take much notice of the process. Finally, the process was complete and an entirely new man lay there, still unconscious.

Rose suddenly let out a muffled giggle. "He's ginger," she said, "The Doctor is gonna be _so_ peeved!" She gasped, "Oh, the Doctor!" and ran back up the corridor. "Doctor!" she cried out, frantically. Her heart leapt joyfully when he gave a groan and slowly opened his eyes.

"Ow," he muttered, pathetically with a wince, "Rose?"

"I'm here," she said, "Doctor, are you OK?" She swallowed her sobs, wanting to remain strong for him,

"I feel as if a herd of Slitheen have just trampled all over me," he moaned, "But hopefully I don't smell like that."

Rose shook her head, smiling through her tears that were falling silently down her face.

"Hey, don't cry, angel," the Doctor said, slowly reaching with his hand and wiping away her tears.

Rose grasped his hand, mindful of the sore skin, and kissed it gently. "Can you get up?" she asked,

"Should be able to," he replied, taking back his hand and pushing himself to his knees, hissing as his burnt skin stretched slightly.

"Doctor?" Jack came jogging up from where he had been checking the guards. They were a little burnt and shell-shocked but they'd live.

"Hey Jack," the Doctor smiled, "Made it out alive then?"

Jack nodded slightly, a sad look returning to his face. Rose wondered what the story was there.

"Can you give me a hand?" the Doctor asked, hating to ask but needing to.

His two best friends immediately went to either side of him and helped to haul him to his feet.

"OK, then," he said, rubbing his face slightly, "Where were we? Oh! The Master! Where is he?"

Jack and Rose glanced at one another.

"He got caught in the brunt of the explosion," Jack said, ducking under the Doctor's arm to help support him as they walked down the corridor, "And he kind of regenerated."

The Doctor didn't say anything and just stared at the Master. It always was a sad moment when a fellow Time Lord lost another regeneration, even if you didn't get on with them.

"What are we gonna do with him?" Rose asked quietly, from beside him, "And why's he still unconscious? You were talking and bouncing around seconds after you regenerated,"

"It depends on the Time Lord," the Doctor answered, "And on the regeneration." He nudged the Master with his foot, not feeling able to bend down. "He'll probably stay unconscious for a while now. Time enough to get him to the TARDIS."

"What's going on down here? Where's Mr. Saxon?" suddenly cried a voice.

The time travellers looked up to see Yvonne Hartman striding down the corridor, her eyes darting around and taking everything in. Behind her was Ianto who as soon as he saw them, ran to their side. "Are you OK?" he asked them, worriedly.

Jack grinned at him. "We're fine," he said, "Well, the Doctor's a bit burnt but nothing we can't handle,"

"Wish it felt that way," the Doctor groaned, tenderly touching his back,

"Don't worry," Rose said, pressing a kiss to his cheek, "I'll nurse you."

The Doctor instantly looked delighted, much to Jack's amusement.

Yvonne had reached them by this time, slowly followed by the injured guards who had been on this level, and some others.

"Who's that?" she demanded, staring down at the Master, "Wait, why does he have the same clothes on as Mr. Saxon? Where _is_ he anyway?"

"That is him," Rose said, privately enjoying the look of confusion on the older woman's face,

"Don't be ridiculous. That's a completely different man!" she said, sharply,

"He regenerated," the Doctor said, "Changed bodies 'cause he died,"

"_What?_" Yvonne shrieked,

"Your precious Mr. Saxon died after making a pressurised container explode, with which he intended to kill _us_," Jack said, scathingly, "He's not a human, in case you haven't guessed already,"

"I've got everything that happened on my laptop," Ianto said, helpfully, "I copied the visuals from the security cameras,"

"Good man," the Doctor said, in approval, "That will make getting the truth out there a lot easier. Miss. Hartman, I suggest you watch the footage of the last few moments."

Ianto held out his laptop and pressed play. Everyone either watched the short film of Mr. Saxon murdering the guards and his actions in this very corridor, or watched Yvonne's face, which slowly began to crumple.

"It's not true," she whispered, "Why would he do that?"

"Things weren't going his way," the Doctor explained, feeling a little sorry for her, "It's what the Master- which is what he calls himself- does."

Yvonne closed her eyes for a second, breathing in deeply. "OK," she said, briskly after snapping them open again, "What do we do?"

The Doctor grinned, delighted at her willingness to co-operate. "I need to get him down to my TARDIS where I can take him away from here. Then he'll be off your hands. It's up to you what you do next but I would advise putting copies of that security visual on every news channel around the world. It will break the hypnotic bond that he put over everyone to get them to do what he wanted. Ianto will explain more, won't you Ianto?"

"Of course," the Welshman said immediately,

"Excellent," the Doctor replied, "Oh, and Yvonne, promote Ianto to do some field work. He's wasted on office work!"

"Alright," Yvonne said, trying to take everything in.

Ianto beamed. Wait 'til he told Lisa _this! _And talking about Lisa, he needed to go shopping….

"Come on, then," the Doctor said, "Can I borrow some of you guards to help carry the Master outside?"

Yvonne acknowledged her head weakly and several of the non-injured guards stepped forward and lifted up the Master's unconscious form.

"Miss. Hartman, would you like to accompany us?" asked the Doctor, putting his arms around Jack and Rose who were still helping him stand up, "Good. Allons y!"

Slowly, the procession made their way along the corridor, down some stairs and then along another corridor on the bottom floor. It was as they were passing a set of double doors that the Doctor stopped suddenly.

"What's in there?" he asked, motioning to the doors. He could feel something odd….

"We're not really sure," Yvonne replied, pushing them open, "It appeared four or five years ago and we managed to open it but it was empty,"

"Do you know what it is, Doctor?" Rose whispered, seeing the strange look on her love's face,

"It's a void ship," the Doctor murmured, hobbling forward,

"Like I said, it appeared here several years ago and, at first, it had no mass and didn't seem to exist. It was most peculiar," Yvonne continued, conversationally, "But then, after using some alien technology, we managed to open it and suddenly it regained mass and existed. There was nothing in it, though."

The Doctor slid a hand over the smooth outer shell of the void ship, thinking hard. "Can you open it again?" he questioned,

"Of course," Yvonne replied, "But it's empty!"

"That doesn't matter," the Doctor said, getting into his stride again, "Jack, can you bring the TARDIS in here, old boy?"

"She wouldn't let us appear in here," Jack replied, "She parked us outside,"

"Do you have alien defences on this building?" the Doctor asked, urgently,

"Yes," Yvonne replied,

"Take them down," the Doctor requested, "Only for a few moments while we get our ship in and out of here. Please!"

"I can do it," Ianto volunteered, already tapping away at his laptop keyboard, "There, the defences are temporarily down."

Jack quickly ran out of the room, leaving the Doctor leaning heavily on Rose. His back was really beginning to hurt but he bore it, clutching onto Rose's hand.

"What's your plan?" she asked him, looking at his face intently.

He grinned at her. "Let's just say me, you, Jack and the Master are paying a visit to Cardiff."

Rose looked confused but before she could question him further, the familiar drone of the TARDIS filled the air and their beloved ship shimmered into view.

"Right!" The Doctor clapped his hands, before wincing. "Yvonne, could you open the void ship please?"

She nodded, going to the side of the room and pulling down a lever. A whining, screeching noise filled the room as the circular void ship split open.

"You lot, can you place Mr. Saxon _gently_ inside the ship. Rose, be an angel and help me into the TARDIS, will you?" the Doctor asked,

"What are you doing?" she asked. Her eyes suddenly widened. "Wait, you're not gonna… you _are_, aren't you?"

The Doctor nodded grimly. "Wait out here for me?"

She nodded. "Yell if you need me,"

"Always." He closed the TARDIS door and she went and stood next to Jack, taking his hand.

"What's he doing?" he asked.

She shook her head, remaining silent.

A few minutes later, the Doctor reappeared, a small cylinder ball clutched in his hand. Rose and Jack immediately rushed to his side and helped him over to the void ship. He then gingerly climbed the steps and stood for a while, looking in at the unconscious Time Lord. "This is the only way to do it," he murmured, before dropping the ball in, "Close it up!" He stood back as the ship closed up again; keeping his eyes on the Master's face until it was blocked from view by the metal exterior.

The Doctor slowly climbed back down the stairs and shuffled over to his friends and the TARDIS. "We'll be going, then," he said, "And we're taking the void ship so don't worry when it disappears along with us."

Yvonne nodded, feeling numb. "Thanks for your help," she said, "And… sorry about the misunderstanding earlier."

Rose nodded wordlessly, just glad that she was still alive, before helping the Doctor inside the TARDIS. Jack gave a surprised Ianto a sudden hug. "You've been brilliant," he whispered into his ear, "And you're gonna do brilliant. Don't settle for less, alright?"

Ianto nodded, a sudden lump in his throat. "Thanks, Jack, and good luck."

Jack grinned at him and affectionately clapped him on the back before disappearing inside the TARDIS. Ianto moved over to where Yvonne and the guards were standing and watched as, a few seconds later, the sound of ancient engines started up and the blue police box and the void ship disappeared from Torchwood Institute One, hopefully never to return again.

* * *

Inside the TARDIS, Jack was darting around the console, pulling levers as required and the Doctor was holding himself up using his faithful ship, and briskly giving orders. 

"Press that green button there… no, the one next to the bicycle pump!" he said, in exasperation, irritated that he couldn't do it.

Jack exchanged a grin with Rose, both of them suddenly thinking of the ninth Doctor.

"OK, so now the void ship is magnetised to the TARDIS and goes wherever we go," the Doctor continued, ignoring the grin, "Set the co-ordinates for Cardiff- you should know them by now- and set her going. Good!"

He held on tightly as the TARDIS dematerialised, shaking slightly but not as much as usual- probably out of respect to the Doctor's injuries.

Rose marched up to the Doctor, her hands on her hips. "You, med-bay, now," she said,

"There's no time, Rose," he said, "We'll be there any second,"

"Well, make time," she almost hissed, "Your back is all burnt and, from what I can remember when I burnt myself when I was little, you need to get water on it as fast as possible and that burn occurred twenty minutes ago!"

The Doctor smiled and took her hands, trying not to wince. "I'll be OK, Rose," he said, "But we need to do this as fast as possible. As soon as we're done, I promise I'll sort it out and you can nurse me a bit, alright?"

Rose sighed. "If you're sure."

A small bump signalled their arrival and the Doctor instantly pushed himself up and made for the door, almost falling before Rose caught him. "Let me help you," she said, shaking her head, "I dunno, you men and your 'I'm OK, I don't need help!'"

The Doctor smiled at her. "I'll always need your help," he whispered, squeezing her affectionately with his arm that was around her waist. She smiled back as they pushed open the door of the TARDIS together.

Outside lay Cardiff Bay, awash with autumnal colours as the sun set over the small city. They had landed next to the water fountain again and the Millennium Centre rose majestically to their left, the words inscribed across it glinting in the dying sun. Behind the TARDIS was the void ship looking completely out of place in the peaceful evening.

"You're going to open the rift?" Rose asked, glancing up to the sky where she knew the rift lay,

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded, "We've still got the extrapolator that 'Margaret' kindly lent us that time, and then we can send the Master into the void, away from everybody,"

"Let's do it, then," was Rose's reply,

"I'll need you to help us as I can't move very quickly," he said, as they walked back inside,

"Sure, just tell me what to do," Rose said,

"That's my girl," the Doctor replied, kissing her head, "OK, Jack, have you got the extrapolator?"

"Yep," Jack replied, brandishing the white board,

"Plug it in then. Rose, sweetheart, can you start turning these switches a full quarter turn in a clockwise direction? Thank you. And I'll take control of the void ship," the Doctor muttered to himself, turning the exterior camera so he could see the ship and then pressing a few buttons which made it slowly elevate into the air until it was right above the TARDIS.

"We're opening the rift, aren't we?" Jack commented without judgement,

"We're doing it the safest way possible," the Doctor reassured him, "And it's the safest way to get rid of the Master without killing him. I couldn't do that."

Jack nodded. "Right, the extrapolator is connected. Shall I start the proceedings?"

"Go for it, Jack," the Doctor replied, "Hold on tight, Rose."

She nodded as Jack flicked some switches and pressed some buttons. A light began to flash wildly overhead and the ground began to shake violently.

"It's open!" Jack yelled, "But I can't hold it for long!"

"Hold on a second," the Doctor replied, his face intent on his task. Very carefully, he used the strong magnetic force that was holding the void ship to the TARDIS and manoeuvred the ship up to the blinding white light that he knew was directly above then. The nearer he got, the worse the shaking became and suddenly, the bell that Rose remembered having rung just after the Doctor's regeneration, began to clang loudly.

"_Doctor!_" Jack shouted, "You're gonna send us in there too!"

The Doctor gritted his teeth and stabbed a button which deactivated the magnetic hold, sending the void ship spinning through the rift. "Shut down!" he then bellowed, "Rose, put those switches back to their original positions, Jack, do your stuff!"

The TARDIS trio worked as the team they were to close the rift as quickly as possible. The bell stopped clanging, the lights stopped flashing and the shaking earth was reduced to a hum and then stopped completely.

"We did it," Jack said, wiping his brow.

The Doctor nodded wordlessly, making his way outside the TARDIS. Rose instantly ran to his side to help him and together they stared up at the sky. It was turning from a dark purple to the red-orange shade it had been before. There was no sign of the void ship.

"He's gone," Rose whispered, squeezing the Doctor's hand,

"Yeah," the Doctor agreed, silently mourning the fact that he'd had to get rid of the other remaining Time Lord. He desperately wished that he could trust the Master to let him surf the universe or even travel with him but he knew that the Master was too set in his ways and would probably never change. He let out a long sigh, before carefully wrapping his arm around Rose's shoulders. "C'mon, let's get me fixed up."

"Stop right there!"

They spun around to see a group of four people standing behind them. There was a woman with curly shoulder-length brown hair standing at the front with her arms folded. She was flanked by a man of a similar height with short, spiked brown hair who was dressed rather untidily in comparison to the rest. The other two were both women; one of an Asian origin and the other looked British with straight, brown hair.

"Did you just open the rift?" demanded the woman in the front,

"Who are you?" the Doctor asked,

"Suzie Costello," she replied, sharply,

"Ah, leader of Torchwood Three," the Doctor said.

Suzie's façade slipped slightly. "How do you know about Torchwood?"

"'Cause we've just spent the afternoon with Torchwood One trying to stop the psychopath Prime Minister taking over the world," Jack said. He'd heard voices and come out to see what was going on. "Doctor, Rose, you two go in. I'll handle this."

The Doctor looked set to protest but a particularly painful twinge from his back soon changed his mind. Rose helped him back into the TARDIS, determined to take him directly to the med-bay.

Meanwhile, Jack had adopted his imitating stance. "I suggest you get onto your collegues in London and find out what's been happening. You've missed quite a lot while you've been cooped up in _Cardiff_!"

"Hey, nothing's wrong with Cardiff," protested the woman with straight brown hair,

"Never said there was," Jack said, with a grin, "Right, we've sealed the Rift back up. Don't bother trying to open it again by yourself or you'll get the Doctor all irritated and you don't want that,"

"Who are you?" asked the man, attempting to sound tough but failing, "And what do you want?"

"We're just friends," Jack said, simply, "And we don't want anything from you. We just try to protect the universe but it's a big place so we can't always be here. If I were you, I'd attempt to branch out more and open up communications with Torchwood One. The twenty- first century is when it all changes, and you gotta be ready."

And with that sound piece of advice, Jack winked at them and darted back into the TARDIS.

* * *

_**One chapter left**__**, I think. Hopefully I'll post it sometime over the weekend.**_

_**Review please. Constructive criticism is gladly received**_


	19. The End of it All

**Memories and the Master**

_**Welcome to the last chapter of 'Sweet Dreams'! This is the longest chapter so far, about four and a half thousand words, so sorry if it's too long! Can I just thank every one who has reviewed this fic so far, especially those who reviewed every chapter or most of them. That's dedication for you. Thanks also to **__**Scout Girl **__**for coming up with Mr. Saxon's nickname (lol) and **__**Amber **__**for annoy… encouraging me along the way and coming up with some pretty damn good ideas! Hope you all enjoy. **_

**_Contains a pretty big Torchwood spoiler but I bet it'll get addressed when Jack returns to Doctor Who anyway._**

_**Disclaimer: Nothing you might recognise belongs to me**_

* * *

**Part Nineteen: The End of it All**

"No!"

"Yes, Doctor!"

"No! You can't make me!"

"Will you act your age and not your shoe size?"

"You want me to act like I'm nine hundred and then some years old?"

"_DOCTOR_!" Rose finally shouted, "Will you get in the bleedin' bath?"

The Doctor peered cautiously at the enormous tub that was currently filled with water which resided in his and Rose's ensuite bathroom. "But it's cold!" he whined, dipping a toe into it and withdrawing it quickly with a shudder,

"It's meant to be," Rose said, trying to keep hold of her patience but the Doctor was very trying when he was in a childish, playful mood, "Please, Doctor. You need it for the burns."

The Doctor let out an exaggerated sigh before lowering himself slowly into the bath, hissing slightly as the water met his burns.

"You alright?" Rose asked sympathetically, perching on the edge of the bath and trailing her fingers through his hair.

He nodded, with a grimace as his back stung viciously.

"You're doing great," she told him, "Can you lie back for me, and float in the water?"

The Doctor did as he was asked without comment and was rewarded with a beaming smile from Rose. Suddenly, there was a brisk knock at the door.

"Hey Rose," Jack said, when she opened the door and poked her head around it, "I've taken us into the vortex rather than back to London so we've got time to deal with things,"

"Thanks," she said, gratefully, giving into the urge to hug him, "Are you alright?"

Jack nodded. "There's something I need to discuss with you and the Doctor when you're ready," he said, in a quiet voice,

"You're not leaving us, are you?" Rose asked, suddenly scared,

"No way," Jack said, vehemently, "I promise it's nothing bad. Don't worry about it, honey,"

"Alright," Rose said, reluctantly, "We shouldn't be too long, OK?"

"OK," Jack replied, "See you in a bit."

Rose nodded and Jack started to walk away. "Jack?" He turned back. "Thanks for being there today."

Jack grinned. "It was my pleasure, honey."

They exchanged a grin before Rose closed the door. Suddenly a strong, wet arm closed around her waist and dragged her backwards towards the tub. She squealed and struggled but to no avail as, all of a sudden, she found herself immersed in icy cold water.

"It's _cold_!" she screamed,

"Told you," the Doctor said, smugly, offering her a hand to pull her out.

Rose smirked, taking the hand and pulling on it hard so that the Doctor fell into the bath with a strangled yell. Rose burst out giggling, despite beginning to shiver, as she found herself face to face with him. "You're evil," she told him,

"So are you," he retorted, nuzzling her nose with his. Suddenly, he pulled back. "Is this OK?" he asked, suddenly worried that he'd overstepped the boundary. He wasn't entirely sure how Rose felt about physical intimacy, even though she'd kissed him earlier.

Rose nodded, laying one hand on his cheek as he lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her sweetly.

After a few moments, Rose pulled back. "Not that I want to stop kissing you," she said, her teeth chattering slightly, "But I'm freezing,"

"Oh! Oh, sorry, Rose," the Doctor immediately said, kneeling up and then helping her out of the bath. He pulled a large towel from the rack where the TARDIS kept them warm and wrapped her up in it. He then placed his arms around her and squeezed her tight.

"Mmm," Rose murmured, tucking her head into his neck, "I missed this,"

"Me too," the Doctor replied, kissing her temple, "C'mon, let's run a hot bath to get us warmed up,"

"Do I need to run the dermal thingy over your burns?" Rose asked, suddenly feeling sleepy,

"Yeah," her lover nodded, breaking out of the embrace and picking up the tool that they had collected from the med-bay on the way there. He handed it to her, briefly explaining how it worked, before straddling the toilet and presenting his burns to her.

"Do they hurt?" Rose asked, gently trailing a finger over the top of his back before scanning the dermal regenerator over the same area.

The Doctor shivered as the device tickled his skin. "A bit, yeah," he admitted.

There was silence for a while as Rose finished healing his skin. Finally, his back was clear of burns if a little red and sore. The Doctor visibly sighed with relief and stood up. "You are brilliant," he told her, stretching slightly, "C'mon bath time, you're starting to shiver again."

He turned up the taps and the bath quickly filled up with warm clear water. The Doctor hadn't put any bubbles in; just in case they irritated his skin. Meanwhile, Rose had stripped and together they stepped into the tub, sinking gratefully into the soothing water and getting comfortable with Rose resting between the Doctor's legs, leaning back onto his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head.

"Are you OK?" he asked, "I mean, after everything that's happened and been revealed today."

Rose wriggled for a second, getting comfortable, before giving her answer. "I guess," she said, slowly, "I still can't believe that I nearly killed you and Jack though."

The Doctor stroked her hair comfortingly. "We're not going to hold it against you if that's what you think. You were hypnotised."

Rose let out a sigh, snuggling into his arms. "OK," she accepted, "I take it you've encountered the Master before?"

"Unfortunately," said the Doctor, "We were classmates back on Gallifrey; some might even say we were acquaintances but it all went wrong when we grew up. I went the way of protecting the universe and he went the way of taking _over_ the universe. We've fought on several occasions and I thought I was rid of him when… well, you know."

Rose turned slightly and rested her head on his shoulder before tucking her arms around his waist. "Are…" she began,

"Rose, I'm so sorry about the memory mix-up," the Doctor interrupted, "You suffered a month of hell just because someone was trying to get back at me,"

"It's OK," she replied quietly, "Rather my memories than yours,"

"Rose, your memories are just as important as mine," the Doctor told her sternly, "Never think you're less important than me."

Rose didn't reply for a moment. "I'm glad it's over though. This last month has just got too close to home, what with Bad Wolf. Do you understand that any more now?"

"Nope," replied the Doctor, "We'll just keep a watch out for it but not worry about it too much, alright?"

"Alright," Rose agreed, "Are you still gonna take me to that pleasure planet?"

"Of course. First thing tomorrow we'll go back to London, say our goodbyes and then go directly there," the Doctor said, "Anything else you want to talk about?"

"Not at the moment," Rose said, after thinking briefly, "I just want to stay here with you for the moment. Tell me about the pleasure planet."

The Doctor complied and they spent the next hour talking, cuddling and kissing to their hearts content. It was fantastic to be back together after so long.

* * *

Jack had got a late dinner ready by the time they had climbed out of the bath and laboriously dried one another. They gratefully sat down to steaming bowls of spaghetti bolognaise and while they ate, the room was filled with laughter and chattering. 

Finally, they had pushed their plates away and were left staring at one another.

"I've got something to tell you," Jack began, sounding nervous which was very unusual for him, "It's about something that happened earlier,"

"Go on," the Doctor requested, leaning back in his chair and studying his friend,

"When I was upstairs with the soldiers at first defence, the Master shot me with one of the guard's bullet guns," Jack explained,

"Are you injured?" Rose said, leaping to her feet,

"No," Jack said, shaking his head, "Not anymore,"

"What do you mean, Jack?" asked the Doctor seriously,

"I…," Jack swallowed, "I sort of died." He ignored his friend's exclamations and continued, "But then I was alive again. I was lying on the corridor floor seconds after being shot in the head by the Master, with no wound and no blood spillage."

Rose stared at Jack and then turned her head to look at the Doctor. Was her brother seriously suggesting that he had come back from the dead? "Doctor?" she whispered, hoping he'd know all the answers.

He looked just as shocked as she did as he frantically tried to work it out. "But you're human," he said finally, "You can't be resurrected!"

"I know I can't!" Jack responded in frustration, "But I did and I don't know why!"

Rose left her seat and went and perched on his lap, throwing her arms around him in a comforting hug. "It'll be alright," she whispered.

The Doctor was frowning as he strode around the kitchen. "You can't die," he said, "But what's caused that…?" He circled the kitchen several times, muttering away to himself under his breath and running his hand through his hair, "Oh," he finally shouted, "Oh, OH! You died on the Gamestation and Rose brought you back to life! She must have brought you back to life completely so you can't die!"

Rose gasped. She knew what she'd done as Bad Wolf all that time ago as her and the Doctor had sat down and discussed it at great detail. "He can't die 'cause of me?" she asked, a tremble in her voice.

"I don't know," the Doctor said, shaking his head, "Jack, has this ever happened before?"

The ex-Time Agent shook his head. "Could it be a one-off then?"

"Maybe," the Doctor said, "I don't know what Bad Wolf is capable of. We'll see how it goes,"

"OK," Jack said, feeling slightly reassured, "Hey, it could be useful not being able to die." He grinned. "It'll a great party trick as well!"

Rose giggled but the Doctor didn't comment. He was thinking about the long term consequences of Jack's possible predicament and how depressing it might be for Jack if everyone he loved died as he lived on. It was the Curse of the Time Lords, only worse. At least the Doctor knew he'd die at the end of his thirteenth life…. He shook his head, determined not to worry about it and instead started to clear away.

* * *

After a bit more conversation, the Doctor and Rose retired to bed, climbing together into their big double bed for the first time in over a month. They snuggled down together, the Doctor being cautious of his back, and shared a last kiss before closing their eyes and drifting away. 

A couple of hours later, Rose stirred from her sleep for reasons unknown to her. She blearily opened her eyes, wondering for a moment why she felt slightly cold before she realised that the Doctor wasn't curled up next to her. Instead, he was sitting up with his face in his knees and his shoulders were shaking slightly.

"Doctor?" she whispered, quickly crawling to perch next to his feet, "What's wrong?"

She gasped as he raised his head to reveal a tearstained face. "Rose?" he croaked, "Do you still love me?"

"More than life itself," she insisted, taking his hands in hers, "How could I not?"

"Even though I'm a monster?" he whispered, another couple of tears rolling down his cheeks,

"You're not a monster," Rose said, feeling confused and slightly scared. She wasn't used to having to comfort the Doctor and wasn't entirely sure what to do,

"I am," the Doctor choked, "I'm a murderer!"

"No, you're not," Rose said strongly. She ran her hands up his arms and then around his back in a hug. He hissed slightly and she paused, "Does it still hurt?"

"It's just a bit sore," he mumbled, "There's some cream on the side. Could you…?"

"Sure," Rose said immediately, sliding off the bed and picking up the pot of cream that the Doctor had taken from the med-bay earlier, "Lie on your stomach and then you can tell me why you think you're a monster 'cause I know you're not."

The Doctor sighed before doing as she asked. She straddled his buttocks and then slowly and gently began to massage the cream in. There was silence for a few moments before the Doctor began to explain.

"I killed them all," he began in a whisper,

"Who?" Rose asked,

"My people," the Doctor said, a choke in his voice, "When I ended the Time War, I murdered my entire species. My friends, my family, my people."

Rose continued to soothingly rub his back while she thought. Although he'd never revealed this to her before, she's guessed as much from what he had said and the fact that he was the last Time Lord. "What's brought all this up?" she ventured.

The Doctor sighed. "The Master," he whispered, "He said that he blamed for entirely and he'd never forgive me,"

"Don't listen to him," Rose told him, "Doctor… you did what you had to do. You've told me before that the Time War happened to stop the Daleks from taking over the universe and you _stopped_ that. Do you remember what you told me last night when I was upset about what I did when I was Bad Wolf? Well, the same principle applies here. You are _not_ a murderer; you are a hero. You've saved the lives of every alien in the universe from being killed by the Daleks; you saved my life, you saved Jack's life, you saved my Mum and my friend's lives, and all of the aliens and other humans we've ever met,"

"But I still killed my people," he whispered.

Rose slipped off his back and lay down next to him so that she was staring into his eyes. "Tell me, did you have another choice? Was there any other way that you could have stopped the Daleks without sacrificing your people?"

The Doctor was silent for several moments. "No," he finally admitted, "There was no other way,"

"Well, then," Rose said, stroking his cheek, "Please don't beat yourself up about it, Doctor. I still love you more than anything even after knowing that. In fact, I love you even more if that's possible because I know you're even more of a hero. I'm never gonna let you go or stop loving you, alright?"

The Doctor nodded shakily before pulling her into his arms and burying his face in her neck, letting his tears flow. Although he knew what he had done at the end of the Time War would always haunt him and he'd always feel guilty about it, he now felt almost cleansed that a person as pure as his Rose could still love him. He stayed curled up with Rose rocking him and whispering words of comfort and declarations of love for the rest of the night.

* * *

Jackie sat down with a thump in her armchair and switched on the television. She was feeling slightly worried about where her daughter and the Doctor and Jack were. She had noticed that the TARDIS had disappeared sometime the evening before whilst she had been out on a date with Howard. The Doctor had been tickled that she was dating Satsuma Man again after a break. She didn't worry about their disappearance too much though as she knew that they'd phone if they were going to be away for more than a day. 

Suddenly her attention was caught by a photo of the Prime Minister on the television with the caption of 'Impostor' emblazoned across it. She turned up the volume and listened to the anchorman.

_"We have received information from an official source that Mr. Saxon, our esteemed Prime Minister, is not who he says he is. Earlier today, Mr. Saxon was at a specialist building when he attacked and killed several guards. This TV station received footage of this massacre that we have been ordered to show. Please ensure that everyone is watching…."_

The confused looking anchorman was replaced with a video obviously taken from a security camera. Jackie watched it in confusion and then gasped out loud with the rest of the watching population as their beloved leader committed murder. Suddenly, a thought occurred to them. Maybe Mr. Saxon _wasn't_ a good man and the best Prime Minister they'd ever had. Maybe he was a bad man….

Jackie and the rest of the country listened silently to the rest of the broadcast feeling numb. They learnt how he had hypnotised them to make them do exactly as he wanted and how he was now missing, presumed dead.

As the anchorman moved onto the next piece of news, Jackie grabbed up the phone and punched in the TARDIS's number. The phone rang several times before a sleepy sounding Rose picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Rose, was Mr. Saxon an alien?" Jackie blurted out. Somehow she knew that only the Doctor, Rose and Jack would know exactly what had happened,

"Yeah…" Rose answered, sounding almost reluctant, "Look Mum, can you call Kirsty, Lauren and Matt and get them over? We're coming back briefly to say goodbye before we go off again and I'll explain what's happened at the same time, OK?"

"Alright," Jackie sighed, sad to hear that her little girl was leaving again. She had gotten used to her being at home during the last month. She hung up after saying goodbye and then fished through the address book for her daughter's friend's numbers.

* * *

"Mum wanted to know about Mr. Saxon," Rose commented after putting the phone down, "I assume the footage has been on the news already," 

"Excellent," Jack said, "She expecting us back now?"

Rose nodded and he activated the TARDIS to take them back to London.

"I've told her that I'll tell her what happened," Rose told the Doctor, "You don't have to be there if you don't want to though,"

"I'll be fine," the Doctor said, wrapping her up in a hug and kissing her, "But thanks for the offer." He had been back to his usual self this morning but Rose could still see the horror in his eyes. However, she knew it would fade with time.

A muffled bump signalled their arrival back at the Powell Estate and they got ready to leave.

* * *

The TARDIS trio were facing a slightly subdued but rather awed quartet of people about two hours later. They had just finished describing and explaining the whole mystery surrounding Mr. Saxon and the events of yesterday. To their credit, Lauren, Matt, Kirsty and Jackie had taken it all fairly well and had even commented that he got what he deserved. They had then decided to not talk about it anymore, other than Lauren's brief question, 

"Rose, what _was_ Mr. Saxon's name?"

Rose grinned at the Doctor who smiled mischievously back. "Harold Maximilian Saxon," she announced,

"Max the Sax," the Doctor murmured, "That's what I'd call him."

This earned a laugh from everyone and they continued to chat about everyday things.

About half an hour later, there came a knock at the door. Matt stood up, his cheeks flaming. "Um, I think that might be my… friend," he said, "Jack, can I talk to you briefly?"

"Sure." The American ex-Time Agent followed the almost twenty year old out of the room. Matt opened the front door and quickly told whoever was waiting outside that he wouldn't be long before he turned back to Jack.

"Um, I kind of met someone a couple of days ago," he admitted, not entirely sure of Jack's reaction,

"That's brilliant!" he cried, "I'm so pleased for you, Matt,"

"Thanks," Matt said, blushing a bit, "I wasn't sure how you were gonna take it as I wasn't sure if we were in a relationship or not,"

"Nah," Jack said, dismissing it, "This is what we were aiming for. So, what's their name?"

"Jake," Matt said, "I met him at that gay bar we went to a week or two ago,"

"Great!" Jack enthused, "When can I meet him?"

"Now," returned Matt. He nervously opened the door and a young man stepped in.

* * *

Rose, her mother, lover and two friends were sat in the lounge, wondering what Matt and Jack were talking about and who the mysterious visitor was, when Matt walked back in. 

"I…I need to talk to you three," he announced, paling slightly,

"We'll wash up the tea mugs," the Doctor injected quickly. Rose smiled at him gratefully and kissed him before he and Jackie disappeared into the kitchen, leaving the four friends in private.

Matt stood self-consciously in front of the girls, twisting his hands nervously. He decided to just come out with it. "I'm…erm…I'm bi," he stammered, hardly daring to look at his friends, "I only found out a couple of weeks ago and Jack's been helping me come to terms with it and stuff but I didn't want to tell you when Rose still couldn't remember and I just hope you're OK with it." He ground to a halt and stared anxiously at the girls. They all looked rather surprised to begin with.

"That is so cool!" Lauren suddenly burst out, "We've actually got a bi friend!"

"You're… you're OK with it?" Matt asked, sounding surprised,

"_Yeah!_" Kirsty hastened to reassure him, "I think it's awesome,"

"Yeah, we still love you," Rose said, "And if I've learnt anything from living with Jack, bi guys have twice as much fun!"

Matt smiled, relieved and glad that they were taking it so well. "I've kind of got a boyfriend, as well," he admitted. He opened the lounge door and a tall young man walked in. He had short spiky hair and looked to be in his late twenties. "This is Jake," Matt introduced.

Rose stared at Jake as Kirsty and Lauren happily went over to greet him. She then stood up and let herself into the kitchen.

"Doctor?" she said, "Um, Matt's new boyfriend is here and I think you need to see him."

Her lover threw her a curious glance before taking her hand and entering the lounge. His jaw dropped.

"_Jake?_

Jake looked up. "Hi, do I know you?"

"No," the Doctor replied, "Well, nice to meet you. I'm the Doctor and this is Rose, by the way!" He gave a cheery grin before pulling Rose back into the kitchen.

"Matt is going out with Jake," he stated,

"It's so crazy," Rose giggled, "Do you think it's our Jake or this universe's Jake?"

"It can't be our Jake," the Doctor decided, talking of the young man that Mickey had befriended on the parallel world, "Well, who would have guessed that we'd meet Jake again out of the millions of people in London!"

They collapsed, holding onto one another whilst laughing hysterically.

Jackie suddenly bounded in. "Right, let's have a party!" she shouted, "Jake, you're very welcome to stay, darling! Let's party!"

* * *

Early the next morning, on the Saturday that Rose would have had her one-on-one with Mr. Saxon and announced his name to the world, the TARDIS trio stood outside their trusty time ship saying goodbye to Jackie, Matt, Lauren and Kirsty. It felt extra sad this time as they had stayed on Earth for so long that Jackie and Rose's friends had really gotten used to having the time travellers around. But Rose was desperate to resume her normal life, travelling the stars, and the Doctor would always do whatever she wanted. As for Jack, he knew he'd never leave either of them. 

"Come back soon," Lauren said, hugging Rose extra hard,

"Yeah, you'll have to," Matt said, taking his turn, "You have to come back for my twentieth next month. I'll text you the day before to remind you,"

"Thanks," Rose said, "And I will be there, promise."

Matt nodded and turned to Jack who took his hand and led him away from the group.

"Look after her, Jack," he told his friend,

"I always do," replied Jack, "And as for you, make sure you're happy, Matt. Make sure Jake treats you right and if you're worried about anything, call me. Other than that, have fun,"

"I will," Matt said, swallowing heavily. He leant up and put his arms around Jack, hugging him tightly before he turned his face and kissed Jack on the lips. "Thanks for everything," he mumbled,

"You're welcome." Jack stepped back and looked over at their friends, all who were staring at them. Jackie, Lauren and Kirsty were looking shocked but the Doctor and Rose were grinning. "Are we off then?" he questioned, strolling back over to them with Matt,

"Yep," the Doctor said, "Allons y!"

Rose hugged and kissed her mother one final time and both the Doctor and Jack had to endure a bear-hug from Jackie before they walked into the TARDIS. Jack closed the door and the Doctor set her off before cuddling Rose tightly to him. He was determined to have her in his arms as much as possible after the past month. Jack came and stood by them, a grin on his face, as the three of them watched the time rotor pump up and down, taking them through the vortex.

They were off again; off for more adventures in time and space.

* * *

_**Aww, it's over! Hope you enjoyed anyway. A couple of author notes here that you might be interested in.**_

_**1. I'm taking a break from writing fanfic for about a month so I can concentrate on my A-Levels but I'll be back at the end of June with lots more stories. I'm also taking a break from this series but this isn't the end of it. I have another one lined up (unless you think enough is enough, already!) but I'm writing a couple of other fics first- all Doctor Who based, of course!**_

_**2. I'm interested in which fic in this series so far has been the best (if you've read them all). In order, there's been a) AS Levels and Aliens, b) A-Levels and Aliens, c) Degrees and the Doctor and d) Sweet Dreams. If you want to cast your vote either review, PM, email me, tell me on MSN (add me if you want, my addy is on my authors page under email addy funnily enough) or some other way. OK, that's all. Thanks for sticking with 'Sweet Dreams'!**_

_**Review please. Constructive criticism is gladly received**_


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